CSIRO Space Research Program director Kimberley Clayfield said the facility was the first of its kind in Australia and came online as Australia was making big strides to join the new global space race.
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“We have an active Space Research Program, which encompasses a range of really broad areas, including Earth observation satellite technologies, space communications, and object tracking – that’s things like asteroids and satellites,” Dr Clayfield said.
“We also have a strong robotics program, which is where this facility fits into our overall program of activities.”
Dr Clayfield said the facility was not exclusively for the use of CSIRO scientists but was designed for any business or research groups that wanted to book time in the testbed.
“We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with others who would be interested in using that facility,” she said.
“That is the purpose of the CSIRO, we’re here to help industry and the nation, so we can do that by doing the research ourselves, but also by helping other researchers.”
Indian and Chinese missions have successfully landed craft on the moon in the past few years, and a number of countries are planning moon missions.
Dr Ralston said part of the reason for that wasn’t just a desire to revisit the moon for its own sake, but to establish a potential staging point for future missions to other parts of the solar system.
“The key phrase that is being used at the moment is ‘moon to Mars’, which has a lot of people excited,” he said.
“But having said that, the moon is hard enough, so let’s establish some technologies and understanding of how we could operate there – could it be used as a remote base to then service other planets?”
CSIRO over the moon about new lunar testing facility in Brisbane
Source: Philippines Alive
