Joint Defense Facility Nurrungar

Joint Defence Facility Nurrungar, located near Woomera, South Australia, was a significant Earth station operated jointly by the Australian Department of Defence and the United States Air Force from 1969 to 1999. Its primary focus was space-based surveillance, particularly the early detection of missile launches and nuclear detonations using U.S. Defense Support Program satellites in geostationary orbits. The name "Nurrungar" derives from an Aboriginal term meaning "listen." After its decommissioning in 1999, operations were transferred to the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap near Alice Springs.