Cooby Creek Tracking Station, Satellite tracking facility near Toowoomba, Australia
Cooby Creek Tracking Station was a satellite tracking facility near Toowoomba in Queensland equipped with a 12-meter parabolic antenna positioned in a radio quiet zone. The modular structures were designed to minimize electromagnetic interference from external sources.
The facility was established in 1966 to support NASA's Application Technology Satellite Program and operated until 1970. It participated in tracking missions as part of the global spacecraft network.
The station played a role in connecting Australia to international communications during the space age, handling signals that linked the country with global networks.
The site was deliberately positioned in a radio quiet zone near Cooby Dam to reduce interference from external signals. The remote location proved essential for receiving weak satellite transmissions.
The facility employed advanced receiver technology including cryogenically cooled maser devices and Klystron power amplifiers to communicate with geostationary satellites. These specialized components allowed the station to detect and decode extremely weak space signals.
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