Australia's opportunity to make orbital history came at the end of a US intercontinental ballistic missile test programme, which saw nine Redstone rockets launched from Woomera to test re-entry conditions. A tenth rocket, a spare, was offered to the Australians.
Scientists at the Weapons Research Establishment - now the Defence Science and Technology Organisation - had at that time experience working on satellite design with European partners. Along with the University of Adelaide physics department and with help from the US defence department, NASA and the UK technology ministry, they built and launched WRESAT in less than a year.
The 1.59m (5.2ft), 45kg (100lb), conical spacecraft carried instruments to measure temperature and the density of molecular oxygen in low orbit. It was successfully launched into a polar elliptical orbit. Atmospheric drag at its perigee of 200km (125 miles) meant its orbit would degrade quickly and its batteries could only power its telemetry equipment for five days, but WRESAT flew for 42 days before re-entering the atmosphere west of Ireland.
Source: Flight International
