We have lift off! Today is an historic moment for the world and a landmark moment for Australia as The Australian National University (ANU) partners with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration as it sends astronauts back to the moon as part of the 10-day Artemis II mission – the space agency’s first crewed mission beyond Earth’s orbit in more than 50 years.

As part of this mission the ANU Quantum Optical Ground Station at Mount Stromlo will serve as an important test location for the next generation of space communications, which will use lasers to send data to and from deep space up to 100 times faster than with current systems.

Anna Moore FTSE, Director of the ANU Institute for Space | InSpace for Space - InSpace said, “This moment fills me with immense joy and pride. It represents InSpace’s first major bet—not only on a bold idea, but on ANU people with the vision and capability to bring it to life.

Today’s announcement reaffirms Australia’s commitment to supporting the next generation of lunar‑nauts. We’re helping ensure they can not only return to the Moon but stay connected to Earth’s social fabric as they build a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.”

Australian Space Agency | CSIRO | Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex | Francis Bennet | Kate Ferguson | ANU Institute for Space | InSpace

Image Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky