Winds force Gilmour Space to cancel historic Queensland rocket launch
The 23-metre Eris rocket had been on the pad at Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland, ready to blast off during a launch window between 1.30pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday.
But at 3.22pm, chief executive Adam Gilmour confirmed the mission was cancelled.
'Scrubbing for the day. Can't get past the wind limits. Will try again tomorrow,' Gilmour posted on LinkedIn.
The team had been 'getting whacked by winds' at 4–5km altitude, just above the safety threshold.
Tomorrow's not promising
7NEWS Queensland meteorologist Tony Auden said the outlook for Wednesday has not improved.
'Without knowing the exact thresholds for launch, it seems the jet stream — or winds in the upper atmosphere — are having a big effect on whether a launch will go ahead,' Auden explained.
'The upper winds tomorrow are likely a little stronger than today.
'So on that information alone, a launch would seem less likely.'
Eris aims to make history as the first of its kind to be launched from Australian soil using hybrid propulsion.
The technology combines solid and liquid fuel for safer and cheaper access to space.
The rocket is designed to carry small satellites into orbit, a major leap for Australia's space industry and a project more than a decade in the making.
The launch was previously postponed due to multiple technical issues.
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