Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Equatorial Launch Australia CEO Carley Scott talks the historic rocket launch preparation in East Arnhem Land on 360 with Katie Woolf

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Equatorial Launch Australia CEO Carley Scott talks the historic rocket launch preparation in East Arnhem Land on 360 with Katie Woolf · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, onto a very different topic light right now, we
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: do know that an international contingent from NASA, well, they've
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: been released from quarantine out at the Center for National
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Resilience on Friday and they are preparing for an historic
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: rocket launch from Arnham Land. Joining me on the line
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: to tell us more about the situation is Carly Scott,
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  Speaker 1: the CEO of Equatorial Launch Australia. Good morning to you, Carly.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Good morning. It's great to be with you.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, great to chat with you. Tell us a little
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  Speaker 1: bit more about what work NASA is going to be
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  Speaker 1: getting underway in well in addition to you guys.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we have twenty seven experts from NASA out
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  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory in East Arnham Land. They are
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  Speaker 2: preparing right now to go out on to site receive
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  Speaker 2: about twenty containers of a kit that they're taking up
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: into theam Space Center to set up. Now, what they're
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: setting up is a launch rail for the rockets that
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: they'll launch next year, will go into the launch pad
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: that we've already called and is set well in Eastana. Lad, So,
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  Speaker 2: there is a NASA quality launch pad in Eastanam in
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  Speaker 2: the Northern Territory. It is about to have a launch
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  Speaker 2: railer fixed to it by and NASA stuff. They'll also
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: come out and set up some of their core communications infrastructure. Now,
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  Speaker 2: this is going to be the equipment that needs to
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  Speaker 2: track what's happening as the rockets are launched and really
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  Speaker 2: think back that live information through all of their systems
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  Speaker 2: to check that everything's on track and make sure that
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  Speaker 2: information is fed back through back to NASA in the
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  Speaker 2: United States. It's a really exciting time. The level of
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: detail within the skill of the team that's out is incredible.
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  Speaker 2: The amount of work that they're doing is just astonishing.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, we'll see some of those communication dishes in
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  Speaker 2: the next few pictures that we roll out from Eastana, Lad,
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  Speaker 2: but we don't know that behind that there are ten
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  Speaker 2: to twelve panels in those communication dishes that need to
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  Speaker 2: be put together by hand by experts to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that they can do their job.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: Well.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, so much detail behind this. Such an exciting time.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: So, Charlie, with these twenty seven people that are obviously
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: here from NASA, what kind of jobs do they have
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  Speaker 1: or what sort of fields are they experts in?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we've got a range of people that i'd
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  Speaker 2: broadly phrase it as construction and communications. So there's position navigation, timing,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: there's a range of people that need to make sure
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  Speaker 2: that equipment communications equipment can effectively talk to each other
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  Speaker 2: and is paced at the exactly right pace, so they're
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: all in sync and they all recognize it when they
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: say T minus one. Every bit of equipment is recognizing
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  Speaker 2: that it is T minus one and not off track.
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  Speaker 2: So you've got a range of different professions in the
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  Speaker 2: communications electronics engineering space that is making sure that all
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  Speaker 2: that equipment is set up, tested and ready to go
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  Speaker 2: for those launches.
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  Speaker 1: And so when are we anticipating those launches are going
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  Speaker 1: to happen.
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  Speaker 2: Those launches are scheduled for midway through next year. Now,
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  Speaker 2: that is three launches of what are called sounding rockets.
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: Are about fifteen meters long. They can go from anywhere
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  Speaker 2: between fifty to fifteen hundred kilometers high. Now these ones
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  Speaker 2: will probably go about two to three hundred kilometers high
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  Speaker 2: and they carry things to scientific experiments, telescopes in particular.
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  Speaker 1: How big a moment is this going to be? You know,
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  Speaker 1: for Australia, the Northern Territory and indeed for Nullen Boy.
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  Speaker 2: This is a tremendous moment for the nation, for equatorial
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: Launch Australia and for the East Anam community and the
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: territory more broadly. The territory has known that it's doing
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: space strategy right now to recognize the fact that the
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  Speaker 2: Northern Territory can play a really important role in the
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  Speaker 2: global space market. That's a one trillion dollar market by
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: twenty forty, so to be able to play a role
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  Speaker 2: in that economically is really exciting. But practically as well.
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  Speaker 2: This is a future based industry and we're talking about
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  Speaker 2: how you drive jobs into Australia, into the territory, into
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  Speaker 2: East Anham, but the future based job and we're talking
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  Speaker 2: about a range of here that are practical and starting
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: right now, everything from land maintenance and care right through
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  Speaker 2: to how we recover those rockets when they come down,
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  Speaker 2: and then all the science that goes behind it. What
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  Speaker 2: this means by having that around is to say, yes,
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  Speaker 2: Australia knows it's well positioned in the space sector and
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  Speaker 2: the future industries, but it's recognized by the best in
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  Speaker 2: the world at being ready to do that and do
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  Speaker 2: that now, ready to partner in major scientific initiatives. It's
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  Speaker 2: a very exciting time.
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  Speaker 1: One of the things that certainly pricked my ears was
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  Speaker 1: how are you going to recover the rockets when they
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  Speaker 1: come back to that you know, where are they going
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  Speaker 1: to land? And how does that all work when indeed
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  Speaker 1: it happens.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there's a great question. So the tracking is really
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  Speaker 2: precise and we've just had a range of international experts
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  Speaker 2: finish their reports around where that vehicle will land or
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  Speaker 2: where the three rockets in fact will land. The next
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  Speaker 2: step that we go through with detailed planning with some
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  Speaker 2: of the ground crew and so what has been set
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: up in East Anham Land is a safety committee of
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  Speaker 2: a range of local traditional owners in particular to talk
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  Speaker 2: about how we can work with for example, land ranges
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  Speaker 2: to go down ranges what it's called, or at lands
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  Speaker 2: and make sure that we collect the vehicles in a
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  Speaker 2: manner it's appropriate to local environment. So it's really, really,
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  Speaker 2: really fantastic to be able to work with the local
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  Speaker 2: community around that plan to say we know where these
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  Speaker 2: vehicles should land, now let's talk about how we go
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  Speaker 2: and recover them. The types of skills that we meet
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  Speaker 2: on the ground to recover those really sensitive and expensive
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  Speaker 2: payloads and telescopes and how locals do that with us
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  Speaker 2: in the ranges and groups in the region play a
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  Speaker 2: role in recovering those really valuable items.
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  Speaker 1: And how excited are the locals out there in Arnham Land.
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  Speaker 1: And also what about the NASA staff upon arriving. What
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  Speaker 1: have they thought once they've gotten there.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, the NASA staff has been really tremendous. They have
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  Speaker 2: come into Australia and gone through a very strict quarantine
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  Speaker 2: process to really try and maximize the safety of what's
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: being undertaken here, and they've been very patient with it's
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: going through quarantine and an additional additional efforts in East
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  Speaker 2: ana Land to make sure that additional testing beyond what
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: you've formally required is done to really do double checks
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: and balances around their arrival here. Now, with that in mind,
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  Speaker 2: for these guys to come out and women at a few
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  Speaker 2: went in the troop as well, to come out to
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  Speaker 2: Australia and the Northern Territory is something that's been planned
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: for over ten years now. They've been keen to get
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: out to Australia and what for a long time, So
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  Speaker 2: to finally be here boots on ground is a really
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  Speaker 2: exciting time. When they're just itching to get out and
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: get started on those works on the ground, and a
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  Speaker 2: local community have been working with us the whole way through.
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  Speaker 2: We have gone through great detailed conversations with a Goo
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  Speaker 2: Much corporation developing East Antam and a range of other
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  Speaker 2: local groups in East ana Land to help us build
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  Speaker 2: what's already there. Have cleared the land that's built the
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: launch pad. It is really Northern Territorians who have really
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  Speaker 2: set this foundation for launch next year.
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  Speaker 1: Carlie, I know that at school holidays there's probably some
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: kids in the car being forced to listen to me
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: this morning with their parents. I mean, are we looking
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  Speaker 1: like we're going to have opportunities down the track here
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  Speaker 1: for some of our young Territorians as they grow up
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  Speaker 1: to be realistically maybe working for NASA or certainly working
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: for you guys here in the territory.
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  Speaker 2: That's a really good question for kids listening in the car.
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  Speaker 2: This is a real demonstration that space jobs are already
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  Speaker 2: here in Australia. You have an opportunity to work in
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  Speaker 2: the space sector. And it's not just people who launch
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  Speaker 2: rockets that get a job in the space sector. I
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  Speaker 2: think it's really important to point out I and we
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  Speaker 2: talk to people who do marketing, who do law, who
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  Speaker 2: do engineering, who do community consultation, environmental care. All these
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  Speaker 2: jobs are going to be important to the local space industry.
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  Speaker 2: So when you look at those jobs, people often think, oh,
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  Speaker 2: do I just have to get a job overseas at MATHA.
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  Speaker 2: Well no, it's not the case, and it's already not
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  Speaker 2: the case. Local companies like Equatorial Launch Australia are growing
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  Speaker 2: in your backyard. There are a range of others around
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  Speaker 2: the country and it's providing jobs in the space sector
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  Speaker 2: now and there certainly looks to be more coming up
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  Speaker 2: into the future.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Carly, it's lovely to speak to you this morning,
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  Speaker 1: and no doubt we will talk to you again in
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: the very near future as as things progress. Thanks so
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: much for your time today, my pleasure.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks for having me look forward to speaking of you again.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: Sounds good. Thank you. That is Carl Scott there, who's
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: the CEO of Equatorial Launch Australia. Now, if you're keen
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  Speaker 1: to get in contact with us today eight nine four
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  Speaker 1: one one o four nine, you're also able to send
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: us a message zero four double nine seven double one
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  Speaker 1: three six zero And it is pretty exciting stuff. I
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  Speaker 1: mean the fact that we've got twenty seven of these
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  Speaker 1: staff from NASA at East Aarnham Land at the moment
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  Speaker 1: and they've traveled to No Boy. That was the first
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  Speaker 1: step obviously after doing their quarantine and they're going to
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  Speaker 1: be working forty days of work with Equatorial Launch Australia
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  Speaker 1: at that Arnham Space Center, so it is pretty exciting.
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  Speaker 1: They're preparing for their mid twenty twenty two suborbital sounding
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  Speaker 1: rocket launch campaign and it is going to see those
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  Speaker 1: three rockets as you've just heard there from Cali take
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  Speaker 1: off from the Arnham Space Center