Gilmour Space’s Eres Block I rocket on the launch pad at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport. Photo: Gilmour Space.
The first Australian designed rocket to launch from an Australian spaceport has been given clearance to fly from regulators.
Queensland-based Gilmour Space has been working on its 30-tonne, 25-metre-long Eris Block I rocket for nearly a decade at its Gold Coast facility and has built a launch facility northwest of Bowen in the Whitsundays. The first rocket was transported to the Bowen Orbital Spaceport late last year and has been undergoing tests since then while awaiting the launch permit.
The spaceport was granted Australia’s first orbital launch facility licence in March and was officially opened by then-Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick.
In September, Gilmour Space successfully conducted a major wet dress rehearsal of its Eris launch vehicle, doing everything required to launch but pausing the countdown at T-minus 10 seconds.
The Australian launch permit was issued by the Australian Space Agency and approved by Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic. The permit is required under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018 to launch an object from Australia to an altitude of more than 100 km and comes with a number of conditions that must be met before launch, as well as a mandatory 30-day notification period.
Gilmour Space CEO and co-founder Adam Gilmour welcomed the news, describing it as a major milestone for the local space industry.
“With this green light, we will soon attempt the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil,” he said.
“Our team is assessing the conditions of the permit and will advise on the anticipated launch date for Eris TestFlight1 in the coming weeks.”
Since starting its rocket program in 2015, Gilmour Space has expanded to more than 200 employees, has built a local supply chain of more than 300 Australian companies, and has secured private equity funding for its planned operations.
Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins said the launch approval was an incredible milestone for Bowen and the Whitsundays region.
“The team at Gilmour Space have been incredible to work with, and their commitment to engaging Bowen residents in this journey is a model of proactive community involvement,” he said.
“Success here isn’t just about reaching orbit – it’s about positioning Bowen as a key player in Australia’s journey to space. This is just the beginning.”
September’s wet dress rehearsal was designed to fully test the rocket’s systems and to validate the performance of its critical systems.
To this end, all three of the rocket’s stages were loaded with propellant and all launch procedures were executed, with only minor issues identified including two faulty valves and some minor software reconfigurations required.
Gilmour’s Director of Launch Vehicles and Satellites David Doyle said he could not overstate the significance of what the company had accomplished, with only minimal issues detected.
“This was the final major test to validate the readiness of our rocket, ground systems and crew, while allowing us to address any concerns ahead of launch day.”
The company expects to resolve the identified issues and launch in the coming weeks.
