X-Nico

3 unusual facts about OTC Satellite Earth Station Carnarvon


OTC Satellite Earth Station Carnarvon

The ‘sugar scoop’ antenna became operational on 29 October 1966 when Intelsat-2A, the first of the three satellites launched, gave OTC and the ABC a brief chance to test satellite TV communications as the satellite drifted to ignominious failure over the Indian Ocean.

The ‘sugar scoop’ became famous again on 21 July 1969, the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing, relaying Neil Armstrong's first steps on the Moon from NASA's Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station, Canberra, to Perth's TV audience via Moree earth station - the first live telecast into Western Australia.

The station was decommissioned in April 1987, but the site is still 'actively' involved in solar scientific research, hosting a node of the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network.



see also