WELLINGTONAfter 14 seconds of flight on Wednesday, the first attempt to enter orbit from the nation’s territory crashed.
Gilmour Space Technologies launched the rocket Eris, which was intended to take tiny satellites into orbit and was the first orbital launch vehicle to be designed and built in Australia. In a test flight, it took off Wednesday morning local time from a spaceport close to the little town of Bowen in the northern Queensland state.
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The 23-meter (75-foot) rocket seemed to clear the launch tower and linger in midair before disappearing from view in footage released by Australian news agencies. Smoke plumes were observed ascending above the location.
There were no reported injuries.
In a Facebook posting, the business praised the launch as a success. According to a spokeswoman, all four of the hybrid-powered engines fired up, and the first flight lasted 14 seconds of flight and 23 seconds of engine burn time.
Due to technical difficulties and unfavorable weather, Gilmour Space Technologies had to cancel the rocket’s earlier planned launches in May and earlier this month.
In a statement, CEO Adam Gilmour expressed his satisfaction with the rocket’s departure from the launchpad.
He posted on LinkedIn, “Of course, I would have liked more flight time, but I’m happy with this.” In February, Gilmour stated that a commercial rocket business successfully launching to orbit on its first try was nearly unheard of.
The company had previously declared that if the rocket lifted off the ground, the launch would be deemed successful. According to the statement, the infrastructure at the launch site was unharmed.
Despite the vehicle’s failure to reach orbit, the successful launch was a major accomplishment, according to Ry Collins, the mayor of the nearby Whitsunday Regional Council.
He remarked on Facebook that this is a significant first step toward the enormous leap of a future commercial space sector right here in our neighborhood.
Gilmour Space Technologies has private investors and this month received a grant of $5 million ($3.2 million) from the Australian Federal Government to develop the Eris rocket. It came after the company and the government signed a grant agreement in 2023 for AU$52 million to promote the development and commercialization of new space technology in Australia.
According to the aerospace news outlet NASASpaceFlight, Australia has hosted hundreds of suborbital vehicle launches, but there have only been two successful orbital launches from the nation. Australia made its first orbital launch attempt in almost 50 years with the first Eris test flight.
