Woomera (pop. 132), a town in northern South Australia, is the site of an Australian base for rocket, missile, and space research. The base includes the Woomera Rocket Range, which extends west from the town for more than 310 miles (500 kilometers). The range is equipped with photographic, radio-tracking, and measuring devices that are used during testing.
The United Kingdom and Australia founded Woomera in 1947 as a site for missile and rocket testing. They chose an Aboriginal word meaning spearthrower as the town’s name. The United Kingdom tested such devices as Skylark rockets and Bloodhound and Thunderbird missiles at Woomera. In 1962, Australia helped found the European Launcher Development Organization (ELDO). The organization’s purpose was to develop satellite and space vehicle launching rockets for commercial and scientific uses. ELDO chose Woomera as the site for a series of launchings of multistage rockets. These launchings took place at Woomera from 1963 to 1970. The town and range are now administered by the Australian Department of Defence.
