Southern Launch has confirmed the exclusion areas that will be in place to ensure public safety for the second launch of the Eco Test campaign that will launch from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in Australia in November. The exclusion areas will cover land, air and sea to ensure public safety.
On the land, an exclusion area will be established around Southern Launch’s Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. The exclusion area does not extend beyond the private land used by Southern Launch for launch activities.
In the air, Southern Launch works with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to establish a Temporary Restricted Area (TRA) that will be in place during the launch campaign. The TRA applies to aircraft and drone users of the airspace. Detailed information about the TRA will be published through Airservices Australia.
For the sea, Southern Launch has worked with the Government of South Australia to establish an Aquatic Activity License that temporarily restricts access to the coastal waters around the launch complex on any planned day of launch. This will be in place for the minimum amount of time possible whilst maintaining public safety. Downrange maritime risk over the Southern Ocean will be bounded by a Notice to Mariners published by the Australian Hydrographic Office.
Additionally, Southern Launch, last September, engaged in a sharing partnership that enables liaising with the United State Space Command and their Earth orbiting object tracking systems to make certain the company’s launch vehicles will avoid on-orbit and other space objects.
Southern Launch has engaged and consulted with key industry advocacy groups to minimize the impact on the local aquaculture industry and has a dedicated Area Controller that communicates with airspace users and commercial maritime operators on the day of launch to help them navigate around the restricted areas.
Fishery Bay is not included in any launch exclusion areas.
Southern Launch CEO, Lloyd Damp, said, “The restricted areas for our launch campaigns are granted by government bodies at a local, state and federal level. We work closely with regulators, commercial air and marine operators to design the most efficient safety exclusion zones around our launch sites that enable ongoing access to recreational facilities while also maintaining commercial operations in the area. We appreciate the collaborative approach the local fishing industry has taken in the lead up to this launch. It shows that the space industry and aquaculture industry can work alongside each other to bring a new industry and local jobs to the Eyre Peninsula economy.”
Public viewing areas of the launch will be located at a safe distance from the launch facilities. Follow Southern Launch social media pages for the most up-to-date information.