"For a decade I had the privilege of representing staff at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex down at Tidbinbilla, one of three stations that make up NASA's deep space network. It has been responsible for supporting critical missions for decades."

Address to the House of Representatives, Statements by Members, Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex

Tuesday 27 September 2022

For a decade I had the privilege of representing staff at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex down at Tidbinbilla, one of three stations that make up NASA's deep space network. It has been responsible for supporting critical missions for decades.

This morning, with the Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, I had the privilege of witnessing the great work of the CDSCC staff supporting the world's first full-scale planetary defence test. We witnessed NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, the first deliberate action in human history to change the motion of a celestial body in the solar system. The goal was to see if a large asteroid colliding with earth could be diverted, with the CDSCC staff receiving data and footage as it followed the impact. The 570 kilogram spacecraft collided with the asteroid Dimorphos at speed of approximately 6.44 kilometres per second. The asteroid was 160 metres in diameter, roughly the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and it was a staggering 11 million kilometres away from Earth. This ensured the demonstration posed no risk to Earth.

This is an extraordinary technical feat by the teams around the world that designed and brought this project to this result. It is a great example of the capacity of CSIRO and the CDSCC’s team in supporting international space missions.