A number of historic and current Earth (or ground) stations in Australia are used to communicate and track human-made satellites. Many of the sites are associated with overseas government partnerships established generally with the United States, European Union, and Japan. They are generally run by various Australian Government agencies along with NASA, European Space Agency or the US Military.
List of sites No. Station Complex Location Overseas country/company involved Purpose Active 1 Island Lagoon Tracking Station Island Lagoon Tracking Station Woomera, SA Minitrack Radio Tracking StationBaker-Nunn Camera Optical Tracking Station.Project Mercury Radio Tracking Stations Deep Space Probe Radio Tracking Station (85 foot diameter antenna) No 2 Joint Defense Facility Nurrungar Island Lagoon Tracking Station Arcoona, SA Space based surveillance. Moved to Pine Gap No 3 Muchea Tracking Station Muchea Tracking Station Muchea, WA Project Mercury (replaced by Carnarvon) No 4 (Unknown) Adelaide Earth Station (Unknown) Adelaide Earth Station Adelaide, SA Unknown transit Navigational Satellite Program for weather facilities - required an Earth station near Adelaide. Unknown 5 Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex Tidbinbilla, ACT NASA Deep Space Network Yes 6 Carnarvon Tracking Station Carnarvon Earth Stations Carnarvon, WA Tracking and Data Acquisition Station for uncrewed scientific and crewed satellites No 7 OTC Satellite Earth Station Carnarvon Carnarvon Earth Stations Carnarvon, WA European Space Agency - Space vehicle tracking Yes 8 (Unknown) Darwin Earth station (Unknown) Darwin Earth station Darwin, NT Unknown Mobile Data Acquisition Station for uncrewed scientific satellites and space vehicles. Possibly Shoal Bay Receiving Station Unknown 9 Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station Honeysuckle Creek, ACT Tracking and Data Acquisition Station, primarily for support of crewed flight No 10 Cooby Creek Tracking Station Cooby Creek Tracking Station South of Toowoomba, QLD Applications Technology Satellite (ATS) facility No 11 Parkes CSIRO Earth Station Parkes CSIRO Earth Station Parkes, NSW CSIRO CSIRO, NASA Deep Space Network. Yes 12 Orroral Valley Tracking Station Orroral Valley Tracking Station Orroral Valley, ACT Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network, DORIS (geodesy) No"Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the French Republic on a Programme involving the Establishment and Use of the "DORIS" Precise Satellite Location Beacon System in Australia ATS 34 of 1994” . Australasian Legal Information Institute, Australian Treaties Library. Retrieved on 15 April 2017. 13 Yatharagga Yatharagga West Australian Space Centre Near Yarragadee, WA NASA Mobile Laser Ranging Facility and DORIS (geodesy) beacon - now operated by the Swedish Space Corporation Yes 14 Pine Gap Pine Gap Near Alice Springs, NT Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System, ECHELON, Aquacade tracking Yes 15 Crib Point Satellite Earth Station at HMAS Cerberus Naval Base Crib Point Satellite Earth Station at HMAS Cerberus Naval Base Near Crib Point, VIC Meteorological Satellite Earth Station for Japanese and Chinese weather satellites e.g. Himawari Geostationary Meteorological Satellites. Yes 16 New Norcia Station New Norcia Station New Norcia, WA ESTRACK for the European Space Agency Yes 17 Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station Geraldton, WA ECHELON Yes 18 Dongara Satellite Station Yatharagga West Australian Space Centre Near Yarragadee, WA Earth station Tracking and Data Relay Satellite Facility - now operated by the Swedish Space Corporation Yes 19 Perth Station Perth International Telecommunications Centre Gnangara (Perth), WA ESTRACK for the European Space Agency operated by the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) and Parkes Radiotelescope of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Yes 20 Regency Park Optus Earth Station Regency Park Optus Earth Station Regency Park, SA Optus - SingTel, Intelsat Intelsat Earth station with 1 tracking and 2 fixed antennae and serves as a Tracking, Telemetry & Control backup site. Yes 21 Belrose Optus Earth Station Belrose Optus Earth Station Belrose, NSW Optus - SingTel Belrose is the key operations centre for Optus telecommunications satellite services and controls the Optus satellite fleet. Belrose Satellite Operations comprises teams for satellite control, satellite support, satellite network management, VSAT operations and Earth station support. Belrose also provides launch support and consulting services for non-Optus satellites, whose global operations encompass Norway, Sweden, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. The site hosts a total of 44 antennae, 8 tracking and 36 fixed. It has 61 high power amplifiers for transmission. Yes 22 Lockridge Optus Earth Station Lockridge Optus Earth Station Lockridge, WA Optus - SingTel The Lockridge Earth Station supports international and domestic satellite services. It is continuously staffed as a key Tracking, Telemetry & Control facility. It hosts 12 tracking and 10 fixed antennae. Yes 23 Oxford Falls Optus Earth Station Oxford Falls Optus Earth Station Oxford Falls, NSW Optus - SingTel, Intelsat The Oxford Falls Earth Station is Optus' international gateway for voice, data and video services from international news gatherers as well as providing international communications for key Australian government departments and pay TV providers. The 8 antennas (4 tracking) at Oxford Falls are pointed to 2 Intelsat satellites, as well as New Skies and Asiasat satellites. Yes 24 Tasmanian Earth Resources Satellite Station Tasmanian Earth Resources Satellite Station Hobart, TAS Various The Tasmanian Earth Resources Satellite Station (TERSS) was an X-band groundstation designed and built in Australia. TERSS was created by a group of partners including: CSIRO Division of Oceanography, CSIRO Office of Space Science and Applications, The University of Tasmania, The Australian Space Office, The Bureau of Meteorology, The Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES), The Australian Antarctic Division. It was active between 1995 and 2011. The site was demolished in May 2014. No 25 Uralla Lockheed Martin Earth Station Uralla Lockheed Martin Earth Station Uralla, NSW Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin Australia owns and operates this Earth station to provide telemetry, tracking and command services for a wide range of customers. Yes 26 Mawson Lakes NewSat Earth Station Mawson Lakes NewSat Earth Station Mawson Lakes (Adelaide), SA NewSat 12 antennas from 2.4 to 13 m in diameter, with C and Ku - band capabilities to 12 geosynchronous satellites. Yes 27 Bassendean NewSat Earth Station Bassendean NewSat Earth Station Bassendean (Perth), WA NewSat 11 antennas from 2.4 to 13 m in diameter, with C and Ku - band capabilities to 9 geosynchronous satellites. Yes 28 Sydney BoM Earth Station Sydney BoM Earth Station Sydney, NSW BoM One or more satellite antennas that receive data either in L-band or X-band. The signals are processed by on-site computers and the ingested satellite data is distributed around Australia and internationally. Yes 29 Melbourne BoM Earth Station Melbourne BoM Earth Station Melbourne, VIC BoM One or more satellite antennas that receive data either in L-band or X-band. The signals are processed by on-site computers and the ingested satellite data is distributed around Australia and internationally. Yes 30 Perth WASTAC Earth Station Perth WASTAC Earth Station Murdoch (Perth), WA WASTAC There is one receiver: an L and X-band receiver at Murdoch University, Murdoch. A microwave link exists between the various WASTAC members: Bureau of Meteorology, Landgate's - Satellite Remote Sensing Services, Curtin University of Technology's - Remote Sensing and Satellite Research Group, CSIRO Space Sciences and Technology, Murdoch University, Geoscience Australia Yes 31 Shoal Bay Receiving Station Shoal Bay Receiving Station Shoal Bay (Darwin), NT ASD 17 antennas. Possibly ECHELON Yes 32 Darwin Weather Data Earth Station Shoal Bay Receiving Station Shoal Bay (Darwin), NT BoM One or more satellite antennas that receive data either in L-band or X-band. The signals are processed by on-site computers and the ingested satellite data is distributed around Australia and internationally. Yes 33 Casey Station Casey Station Casey Station (Antarctica), AAD BoM, AAD ANARESAT satellite communications antennaA Himawari-8 satellite tracking antenna Yes 34 Davis Station Davis Station Davis Station (Antarctica), AAD BoM, AAD ANARESAT satellite communications antennaA Himawari-8 satellite tracking antenna Yes 35 Mawson Station Mawson Station Mawson Station (Antarctica), AAD AAD ANARESAT satellite communications antenna Yes 36 Macquarie Island Station Macquarie Island Station Macquarie Island Station (Antarctica), AAD AAD ANARESAT satellite communications antenna Yes 37 Parkes CSIRO Earth Station Parkes CSIRO Earth Station Parkes, NSW CSIRO CSIRO, NASA Deep Space Network. Yes 38 Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station Kojarena, near Geraldton WA signals intelligence facility. Yes 39 Mount Stromlo Observatory Mount Stromlo Observatory Mount Stromlo, ACT DORIS (geodesy) beacon moved from Orroral Valley. Yes 40 BLUEsat UNSW/ACSER Groundstation, UNSW, Kensington UNSW Kensington, NSW BLUEsat UNSW Microsatellite Groundstation Yes 41 Oxford Falls Telstra Earth Station (Sydney Earth Station) Oxford Falls Telstra International Telecommunication Centre Oxford Falls, NSW Telstra International - Telstra, The Oxford Falls Earth Station (Sydney Earth Station) is a Telstra International gateway for voice, data and video services. It provides diverse international and domestic services to private enterprise and Australian government departments, remote sites, mobility providers and pay TV providers. This site has 22 antennas which are pointed to a variety of satellite positions in the Asia-Pacific Region. Yes 42 Gnangara Telstra Earth Station (Perth Earth Station) Perth Telstra International Telecommunication Centre Landsdale, Western Australia Telstra International - Telstra, The Gnangara Earth Station (Perth Earth Station) is a Telstra International gateway for voice, data and video services. It provides diverse international and domestic services to private enterprise and Australian government departments, remote sites, mobility providers and pay TV providers. This site has 20 antennas which are pointed to a variety of satellite positions in the Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions. Yes 43 HMAS Harman Defence Communications Station (DEFCOMMSTA) Canberra Harman, ACT Royal Australian Navy Defence communications () Yes 44 Optus Hume, ACT Optus Yes45Telstra - BendigoTelstraBendigo, VicTelstra30 Short St, Bendigo VIC 3550Yes46Telstra - HawthornTelstraHawthorn, VicTelstra -37.82221719521082, 145.03660961011317Yes
Treaties A number of treaties and other instruments associated with the stations: