You could see and hear history being made from Australia’s remote Northern Territory just after midnight (AEST) Monday.
That’s when NASA launched the first rocket from the Australian space center and the first commercial spaceport outside the U.S.
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The landmark moment was best expressed by a NASA commentator capping off his countdown with an excited, “Go! Yeah!” right as the rocket lifted off.
The rocket, which carried an X-ray Quantum Calorimeter, or XQC, will observe and study constellations, NASA officials said.
“This commercial launch range in Australia opens up new access to the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky, expanding the possibilities for future science missions” Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement.