OTD In Space - November 29: Australia Launches Its 1st Satellite

On November 29, 1969, the first Australian satellite launched.

It was called the Weapons Research Establishment Satellite. The satellite lifted off from the Woomera Test Range in south Australia. It weighed almost 100 pounds, and circled Earth from pole to pole. The mission made Australia the seventh nation to reach space. The United States had brought 10 Redstone rockets to Australia for a series of test flights. But they only ended up using nine of them. Instead of shipping the last Redstone back, they offered it to Australia, who then used it to launch their satellite. In the last few decades, Australia has launched several more satellites. Australia is also famous for its radio astronomy work, which is another valuable contribution to space science.