The United States & Australian Department of Defence are proposing to relocate an optical Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) from the US to the Harold E Holt Naval Communication Station at Exmouth, Western Australia.

The proposed facility to accommodate the Telescope will comprise the central pier in the observatory area to support the telescope, the dome enclosure structure (the observatory) to enclose the telescope, an operations support centre (connecting to the dome structure), ancillary or equipment building(s) (for plant supporting services). Due to the requirement to minimise vibration, the connected dome and operations support structure requires significant foundation and concrete slab works.  The ancillary equipment support structure(s) will house the plant required for operation and environmental control, and be located on the site but set at a distance from the dome structure to minimise vibration influence.

At the time of issuing this Invitation to Register Interest, the works include the following:

The dome structure to enclose the Telescope and its intrinsic operating equipment, operational support structure to accommodate supporting functions, equipment and computing capacity to operate the Telescope and to communicate, ancillary or equipment building to provide the services and building plant support, sufficiently distanced from the dome to remove vibration influence, further civil works including upgraded connections of the proposed site to the existing Base road and track network, establishment of a communications link back to the Base, for security observation and for data distribution as required from the existing Base infrastructure, connection to existing Base HV power, water, and sewerage services (with provision for stored fire services water on site), installation of uninterrupted back-up power supply, security fencing, with sufficient enclosed area to allow manoeuvre of cranage and construction traffic on site andcar parking mainly for service and maintenance vehicles.

The location of proposed works is within the Harold E Holt Naval Communications Station area, near the town of Exmouth, WA.  In the North West Cape area, the site is subject to harsh climatic conditions with extended high temperatures.  The area is also located in a cyclone belt

The works are subject to Parliamentary approval. The SST design is currently being developed by US and Australian designers. For further information on the Project visit: http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Public_Works/JP3029/Submissions