Latest news with #AustralianSpaceAgency
The Age
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Trump's ‘golden dome' golden opportunity for AUKUS in space, says Morrison
US President Donald Trump's ambitious 'golden dome' missile defence system creates opportunities for Australia, says former prime minister Scott Morrison, who wants the AUKUS pact to expand from undersea into space. The former prime minister and now chairman of the advisory board for Space Centre Australia has warned that while the United States has the most sophisticated and mature civil and military space capabilities, China is rapidly gaining ground in the space race and Russia is well established. In a major speech in Sydney on Tuesday, Morrison, one of the founders of the AUKUS defence arrangement with the US and United Kingdom, called for a third pillar of AUKUS co-operation to include the development of satellites and other forms of space technology. Morrison's speech comes just days after Trump announced the golden dome system, which is designed to defend America from ballistic and cruise missiles. Trump said the shield should be operational by the end of his four-year term. While the Trump administration has estimated the cost at $US175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office calculated a total cost of $US831 billion over two decades. In his speech, Morrison highlighted the fact that his government created the Australian Space Agency and promised more than $2 billion for the sector, including investing in satellites, the square kilometre telescope array and space-focused defence capabilities. But with the global space economy set to grow from $US630 billion to $US1.8 trillion by 2035, and the number of satellites set to increase from 12,000 to about 40,000 in the same time, Morrison said Australia needed to be more ambitious. 'Space is now a frontline in US-China strategic rivalry that dominates our post-globalisation world,' he said. 'To obtain control and even dominance in the space domain, major powers are developing both offensive and defensive capabilities.
Sydney Morning Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Trump's ‘golden dome' golden opportunity for AUKUS in space, says Morrison
US President Donald Trump's ambitious 'golden dome' missile defence system creates opportunities for Australia, says former prime minister Scott Morrison, who wants the AUKUS pact to expand from undersea into space. The former prime minister and now chairman of the advisory board for Space Centre Australia has warned that while the United States has the most sophisticated and mature civil and military space capabilities, China is rapidly gaining ground in the space race and Russia is well established. In a major speech in Sydney on Tuesday, Morrison, one of the founders of the AUKUS defence arrangement with the US and United Kingdom, called for a third pillar of AUKUS co-operation to include the development of satellites and other forms of space technology. Morrison's speech comes just days after Trump announced the golden dome system, which is designed to defend America from ballistic and cruise missiles. Trump said the shield should be operational by the end of his four-year term. While the Trump administration has estimated the cost at $US175 billion, the Congressional Budget Office calculated a total cost of $US831 billion over two decades. In his speech, Morrison highlighted the fact that his government created the Australian Space Agency and promised more than $2 billion for the sector, including investing in satellites, the square kilometre telescope array and space-focused defence capabilities. But with the global space economy set to grow from $US630 billion to $US1.8 trillion by 2035, and the number of satellites set to increase from 12,000 to about 40,000 in the same time, Morrison said Australia needed to be more ambitious. 'Space is now a frontline in US-China strategic rivalry that dominates our post-globalisation world,' he said. 'To obtain control and even dominance in the space domain, major powers are developing both offensive and defensive capabilities.
West Australian
14-05-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Eris rocket launch day arrives for Gilmour Space Technologies
Thursday could mark a historic moment in Australia's budding space ambitions with maverick manufacturing company Gilmour Space Technologies set to fire off its Eris rocket from a launch pad in North Queensland. The company designed and manufactured the three-stage rocket at its Gold Coast factory and if the launch goes ahead, it would mark the country's first-ever rocket shooting for the stars. Gilmour received final approvals for launch from the Australian Space Agency and CASA last week and now has a lift-off window from 7.30am AEST through to Sunday. Mission control is housed in a donga about 7km outside Bowen in Queensland's Whitsunday region. Gilmour Space co-founder and CEO Adam Gilmour told NewsWire this week he would 'hit the town' hard with a successful launch. 'I think it will be like winning an Olympic gold medal,' he said. 'I think I'll be extremely happy, and I'll give my brother a big hug. 'I intend to hit the town of Bowen hard that night for a party and buy everyone a beer.' Mr Gilmour and his brother James founded the Gold Coast company in 2015 to uplift Australia's sovereign space capabilities and compete with American giants like Elon Musk's SpaceX. Eris is designed to send small satellites into low earth orbits for commercial and government customers. It is unlikely, however, that Thursday's planned launch will achieve orbit. Mr Gilmour said key metrics for success were getting the rocket off the pad and then flight time, with 10 seconds a crucial marker. 'That's like winning a soccer match one-nil,' he said. 'Two-nil is 30 seconds and all the way to first stage is three-nil and then it just gets better from there.' No space company has successfully entered orbit on its first launch attempt. SpaceX achieved orbit on its fourth attempt in September 2008. Mr Gilmour said the company hoped to reach orbit on its third attempt. It is not certain the launch will happen on Thursday. Strong winds, for one, could delay the event. 'The weather forecast looks really good for Thursday to Sunday,' Mr Gilmour said. 'We're going to give it a good crack.' A jar of vegemite and a camera will ride on the rocket. The company is backed by venture capital firms Blackbird and Main Sequence, the Queensland Investment Corporation and superannuation funds HESTA and HostPlus and last year raised $55m to fund its manufacture and test of Eris. The launch will not be livestreamed but the company will take video of the event and distribute it to media.
The Star
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Australian-made rocket set for historic space launch
(Left pic) Gilmour Space Technologies' Eris Test Flight 1. - Source: LinkedIn - Australian Space Agency). (Right pic) Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Gilmour Space Technologies' Gold Coast factory. - Source: X SYDNEY: An Australian company says it aims to make the first orbital test launch of a locally-developed rocket on Thursday (May 15), carrying a jar of Vegemite as its payload. The three-stage Eris rocket is set to fly from a spaceport near Bowen on the east coast, said its developer, Gilmour Space Technologies. If successful, it would be the first Australian-made rocket to make an orbital launch from Australian soil. After securing approval from the Australian Space Agency, takeoff is expected within a multi-day window starting on Thursday (May 15), weather permitting, chief executive Adam Gilmour told AFP on Wednesday (May 14). But he's not setting his hopes too high for now. If it actually orbits Earth "I would probably have a heart attack, actually, because I'll be so surprised, but deliriously happy", Gilmour said. "Look, we're going to be happy if it gets off the pad -- 10, 20, 30 seconds of flight time: fantastic. So orbit is just not in the realm of my belief right now, even though it's theoretically possible." The 23-metre vehicle -- designed to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit -- is being prepared for takeoff from Abbot Point, about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) up from the Queensland capital Brisbane. Weighing 30 tonnes fully fuelled, it relies on a "fairly unique" hybrid propulsion system, using a solid inert fuel and a liquid oxidiser, which provides the oxygen for it to burn, Gilmour said. The payload for the test flight is a jar of Vegemite -- a popular Australian toast topping -- but the rocket design is for a capacity of 100-200 kilogrammes (220-440 pounds), with further upgrades being developed. - 'We've done everything' - The test launch comes after about a decade of research by the company, which is backed by private investors including venture capital group Blackbird and pension fund HESTA. "This is the first time an Australian company has done the design, build, manufacture, as well as the launch site. So we've done everything," Gilmour said. The company, which has 230 employees, hopes to start commercial launches in late 2026 or early 2027, he said, and then to rapidly grow revenues. "This is a test launch, which is normal for rockets, and we're going to see how we go and get as much data as we can -- the more flight time we get the better," Gilmour said. A second rocket was already being built for launch sometime around the end of the year. "We're going after the small sat business," he said. "There's thousands and thousands of satellites that need to be launched into low orbit and there's not enough rockets. The signs are so clear about that, so we've just got to move as fast as we can." - AFP
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Australian-made rocket set for historic space launch
An Australian company says it aims to make the first orbital test launch of a locally-developed rocket on Thursday, carrying a jar of Vegemite as its payload. The three-stage Eris rocket is set to fly from a spaceport near Bowen on the east coast, said its developer, Gilmour Space Technologies. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now If successful, it would be the first Australian-made rocket to make an orbital launch from Australian soil. After securing approval from the Australian Space Agency, takeoff is expected within a multi-day window starting on Thursday, weather permitting, chief executive Adam Gilmour told AFP on Wednesday. But he's not setting his hopes too high for now. If it actually orbits Earth "I would probably have a heart attack, actually, because I'll be so surprised, but deliriously happy", Gilmour said. "Look, we're going to be happy if it gets off the pad -- 10, 20, 30 seconds of flight time: fantastic. So orbit is just not in the realm of my belief right now, even though it's theoretically possible." The 23-metre vehicle -- designed to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit -- is being prepared for takeoff from Abbot Point, about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) up from the Queensland capital Brisbane. Weighing 30 tonnes fully fuelled, it relies on a "fairly unique" hybrid propulsion system, using a solid inert fuel and a liquid oxidiser, which provides the oxygen for it to burn, Gilmour said. The payload for the test flight is a jar of Vegemite -- a popular Australian toast topping -- but the rocket design is for a capacity of 100-200 kilogrammes (220-440 pounds), with further upgrades being developed. 'We've done everything': The test launch comes after about a decade of research by the company, which is backed by private investors including venture capital group Blackbird and pension fund HESTA. "This is the first time an Australian company has done the design, build, manufacture, as well as the launch site. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now So we've done everything," Gilmore said. The company, which has 230 employees, hopes to start commercial launches in late 2026 or early 2027, he said, and then to rapidly grow revenues. "This is a test launch, which is normal for rockets, and we're going to see how we go and get as much data as we can -- the more flight time we get the better," Gilmour said. A second rocket was already being built for launch sometime around the end of the year. "We're going after the small sat business," he said. "There's thousands and thousands of satellites that need to be launched into low orbit and there's not enough rockets. The signs are so clear about that, so we've just got to move as fast as we can."
