Australia could soon be the seventh country in the world sending its own rockets into space from home soil, with a mid-March window open for a launch from the Whitsundays in north Queensland.
Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technologies has announced a launch window, starting “no earlier” than March 15, for the maiden flight of Eris, the first Australian-designed and built rocket aiming for orbit.
Gilmour Space CEO and co-founder Adam Gilmour said the news followed final airspace approvals from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia, clearing the last regulatory hurdle before launch at the company’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
Mr Gilmour said the company made history in March last year when its Bowen spaceport was granted the first orbital launch facility licence in Australia, and when it secured the country’s first Australian Launch Permit for Eris TestFlight 1 in November.
“Now, with airspace arrangements finalised and mandatory notice given to the Australian Space Agency, the company is preparing for liftoff,” he said.
Mr Gilmour said this would be the first attempt of an Australian rocket to reach orbit from Australian soil.
“Only six countries in the world are launching regularly to space using their own technology, and Australia could soon be one of them.”
He said with the mid-March window fast approaching, it was important to understand that delays or “scrubs” were a normal part of rocket launches.
“These can last anywhere from hours to days, or even weeks, and are often caused by weather conditions, technical issues, or other factors.
“Safety is always the top priority. We’ll only launch when we’re ready, and when conditions are appropriate,” he said.
Mr Gilmour said the first launch was always the hardest.
“Reaching orbit is a highly complex engineering challenge, and every successful rocket company has faced setbacks in their early attempts—SpaceX, for one, did it on their fourth attempt.
“It’s almost unheard of for a private rocket company to launch successfully to orbit the first time.”
He said what was important was that every second of the flight would deliver valuable data that would improve the rocket’s reliability and performance for future launches.
“This is the road we must take to build sovereign space capability that will be critical for Australia’s future.
“Launching Australian-owned and controlled rockets from home soil means more high-tech jobs, greater security, economic growth, and technological independence.”
