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Spacetime

1944

1944

Our moment in the Sun

We pioneered the new field of radio astronomy in Australia, observing the Sun using new techniques and equipment at several sites in Sydney.

1961

1961

Opening of our Parkes radio telescope

Shortly after its opening, in 1962, the telescope tracked NASA’s Mariner 2 spacecraft as it flew by the planet Venus, marking the start of our longstanding relationship with NASA. After nearly 60 years' of service, the telescope remains one of the world’s leading radio telescopes thanks to regular technology upgrades.

1969

1969

Apollo 11 Moon landing

Apollo 11 Moon landing signals received by our Parkes radio telescope and NASA’s Honeysuckle Creek station near Canberra. 600 million people around the world watched the televised broadcast.

1979

1979

Collecting satellite data for Australia

We started acquiring and archiving satellite data for the Australian Government. This data underpins research from inland water, bushfire and land use mapping, to ocean colour monitoring and minerals exploration.

1983

1983

Revolutionising the satellite industry

We started an R&D program with the goal of placing Australian-designed antennas on the second generation AUSSAT satellites. Our work helped to revolutionise the satellite industry.

1989

1989

Our alliance with Boeing

Our longstanding research alliance with aerospace company Boeing commenced. Along with data analytics, our alliance will go onto develop breakthrough technologies in coatings and advanced materials, energy and direct manufacturing.

1992

1992

AUSSAT-B satellite launches

Launch of the first AUSSAT-B satellite, for which we designed and built a prototype antenna for the Western Australia spot beam antenna.

1996

1996

We revolutionise WiFi

Our Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) patent was granted, making fast WiFi possible. This was developed from our deep understanding of radio waves and is now used in billions of devices.

1996

Spacecraft tracking

We were given responsibility by the Australian Government to provide oversight of the treaty relationship between Australia and the United States for spacecraft communications and tracking at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex.

2002

2002

FedSat launched

Launch of FedSat, Australia’s third scientific satellite. We collaborated with universities and private companies on its design and construction.

2006

2006

Fighting fire with satellite data

The ‘Sentinel Hotspots’ demonstration system for bushfire tracking across Australia, developed in collaboration with the Department of Defence, Geoscience Australia and the US Forest Service, was transferred for routine operational service to Geoscience Australia. Today it uses data from multiple US and Japanese satellites to provide up-to-date public information on bushfires across all of Australia via the web.

2013

2013

World-class supercomputing

Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, our joint venture with university and Western Australian Government partners, became operational. It is used to process big radio astronomy data sets coming from Australia’s Square Kilometre Array precursor telescopes as well as for other data-intensive science.

2015

2015

Lab 22 offers 3D printing

We opened our 3D metal printing facility Lab22, which enables fast prototyping of components.

2016

2016

Creating our data-driven future

Our focus on data continued with the launch of our new leading data innovation group, business unit Data61.

2017

2017

NovaSAR observing Earth

We signed an agreement for a share in NovaSAR, one of the world's most sophisticated new satellites, that will make Earth observation data on the Asia-Pacific region more readily available. The satellite is due for launch in 2018.

2018

2018

Entering the new space era with Boeing

We agreed with Boeing, our long-term R&D partner, to work together on emerging space technologies.

2018

NovaSAR-1 launched into orbit

After blasting off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India, NovaSAR-1 will enter a commissioning period to be managed by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. CSIRO is a data share partner in the satellite.

2018

Space industry roadmap published

Key opportunities for growing Australia’s space economy are outlined in our latest industry roadmap.

2018

CSIRO invests $35M in future of space and AI for Australia

Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, is investing $35M in frontier research in Space Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

2019

2019

Improving decision-making for disaster risk reduction

UK and Australia teamed up to use space technology to co-design projects with our Pacific Island neighbours focused on managing threats like natural disasters and the impacts of climate change.

2019

50th anniversary of Apollo 11

CSIRO celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing with open days at its Parkes Observatory and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla.

2019

New Australian partnership with NASA

It was an exciting time for Australia in space with the establishment of an Australian Space Agency, the growth of new businesses in the local space industry, and collaborations with international agencies including NASA on their inspirational missions to the Moon and Mars that will create jobs and opportunities for Australians.

2020

2020

AquaWatch scoping begins

The AquaWatch Australia mission scoping study began, designed to boost national water quality management. Satellites in space and a network of ground-based sensors could be used to monitor the quality of Australia’s inland waterways, reservoirs and coastal environments.

2021

2021

Intuitive Machines lunar missions

CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang, joined Houston-based aerospace company, Intuitive Machines’ Lunar Telemetry and Tracking Network (LTN) which will provide ground station services to commercial lunar missions under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

2021

NovaSAR-1 national facility open for business

CSIRO opens applications for Australian researchers in industries like agriculture and natural disaster management to task the Earth observation satellite NovaSAR-1, accessing Australia’s share of the satellite.

2021

ISRU Facility opens

CSIRO’s In-situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) Facility opens its doors. A lunar testbed including a sealed dust area to safely handle various types of lunar regolith simulant – fabricated Moon dust – to test rovers and related equipment at scale.

2022

2022

National Space Program

Plans for a National Space Program for Earth Observation announced.

2022

All our NovaSAR-1 data downlinked via CfAT; 100% Australian operation

All Australian operation – NovaSAR-1 data tasked and acquired by CSIRO’s share in NovaSAR-1 downlinked via with the Centre for Appropriate Technology, Australia’s first and only Indigenous-owned ground station service.

2022

Construction starts on new New Norcia antenna

The first stone was turned in the construction of a new deep space antenna in regional Western Australia, as part of a multi-million-dollar collaboration between the Australian Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA).

2022

Supported DART mission

CSIRO teams at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex and ESA’s New Norcia tracking station supported NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission, the world’s first full-scale planetary defence test.