CASA's Office of Airspace Regulation (OAR) will implement expanded permanent restricted airspace around Tidbinbilla later this year.
In the May CASA Briefing newsletter published this week, a CASA spokesperson said that extra restricted airspace would be needed because the Canberra Deep Space Communication Centre (CDSCC) based there would start transmitting more powerful signals from 2028, posing a potential risk to aircraft.
The restricted area will have a radius from CDSCC of 8.7 nm and reach up to FL180. Currently, Tidbinbilla has restricted airspace R430A/B/C surrounding with a radius of 5 nm and ceiling of 10,000 feet.
"NASA's widening exploration of the final frontier means the Tidbinbilla tracking station near Canberra will transmit at higher bandwidths with new equipment," the spokesperson said.
"This extra capability is needed for robotic deep space missions which need better quality data transmission, as well as human spaceflight to the Moon and beyond, including Mars."
CDSCC, which is run by the Commonwealth Scientific Investigation and Research Organisation (CSIRO) on behalf of NASA, is constructing a 34-metre diameter dish that will transmit at 80 kW.
"The high intensity radiated fields (HIRF) from an 80kW transmitter pose a greater risk to aircraft operations and aircraft occupants than the current lower power transmissions, which means additional restricted airspace will be needed around the Tidbinbilla station," the spokesperson said.
"As a result, our Office of Airspace Regulation has approved a new permanent restricted airspace around Tidbinbilla to keep civil aircraft clear of potentially dangerous HIRF from the new transmitter."
Although the transmitter will not start operating until 2028, OAR intends to implement the restricted airspace in November this year.