A patch of red dirt in a commercial spaceport in Australia witnessed history as NASA launched its first rocket from outside the United States.
Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), the developer, owner and operator of the center, said that just past midnight on Monday, the rocket was launched from the Arnhem Space Center on the Dhupuma Plateau, near the township of Nhulunbuy. The launch was also the first in Australia in more than 25 years.
Alpha Centauri A and B constellations — the closest star systems to the Earth are to be observed by the rocket, which is expected to travel more that 186 miles into space. For Australia, the constellation of Alpha Centauri is special as it is mostly only visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
According to the BBC, Scientists are hoping it will help them study the impact of a star’s light on the habitability of nearby planets.
Space connoisseurs who travelled to the remote site saw the rocket for only 10 seconds before it disappeared into the Earth’s atmosphere.
“It was in the blink of an eye, but to me, it was like it was in slow motion because the whole area just lit up,” Yirrkala School co-principal Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “It went up, and then the sound, it was just like a rumbling boom, like nothing I’ve ever heard. And I just shook with amazement,” he added.
“Without getting too deep into the science, it was effectively a large X-ray camera looking at various astrological phenomenon and trying to capture parts of boulders in the Milky Way and particularly the star cluster of Alpha Centauri,” Michael Jones told the local network Nine.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles hailed the launch and said that it was an “extremely proud” moment for Australia, adding that it was done with the blessing of the region’s Aboriginal population.
