Latest news with #TestFlight1
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Launch of Australia's 1st homegrown orbital rocket delayed indefinitely due to payload fairing issue
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We'll have to wait a bit longer for the first-ever launch of an Australian orbital rocket. Queensland-based company Gilmour Space had aimed to debut its Eris rocket today (May 15), but a problem with the vehicle's payload fairing scuttled that plan. "Last night, during final checks, an unexpected issue triggered the rocket's payload fairing. No fuel was loaded, no one was hurt, and early inspections show no damage to the rocket or pad," Gilmour Space said via X this afternoon. "We'll send a replacement fairing from our Gold Coast factory after a full investigation. That means we're standing down from this test campaign to investigate and fix. A new date for TestFlight1 will be announced once ready. Ad Astra (PS: Vegemite payload = safe : )," Gilmour wrote in a second post. Vegemite, for the uninitiated, is a salty brown yeast paste that Australians love to spread on toast. Gilmour Space Technologies, founded by the brothers Adam and James Gilmour, began its rocket program in 2015. The company has been busy over the past decade. For example, it developed the 82-foot-tall (25-meter-tall) Eris and built a private launch site on the coast of northern Queensland, called the Bowen Orbital Spaceport, with the goal of making Australia more of a space player. "Launching Australian-owned and controlled rockets from home soil means more high-tech jobs, greater security, economic growth, and technological independence," Adam Gilmour, the company's CEO, said in a statement in February. Related stories: — Australian company Gilmour Space gets country's 1st orbital launch license — UK approves 1st vertical rocket launch from Saxavord Spaceport — There was nearly 1 rocket launch attempt every 34 hours in 2024 — this year will be even busier The upcoming test flight will be the first for both Eris and the spaceport. And it will be historic in another way, marking the first-ever liftoff of an Australian-built orbital rocket. Full success is a rarity for rockets making their debut, so Gilmour Space is setting its TestFlight1 expectations at a reasonable level. "Whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q, or get all the way to space, what's important is that every second of flight will deliver valuable data that will improve our rocket's reliability and performance for future launches," Adam Gilmour said in the same statement.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The 1st Australian rocket to launch from Australian soil could reach orbit next month
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Australian company Gilmour Space has announced the launch window for its first-ever orbital launch attempt. Gilmour Space announced on Feb. 24 that it is targeting a launch no earlier than March 15 from its own Bowen Orbital Spaceport in northern Queensland, following approval from Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The company secured its launch license for what is designated TestFlight1 late last year. "This will be the first attempt of an Australian rocket to reach orbit from Australian soil," Adam Gilmour, co-founder and CEO of Gilmour Space, said in a statement. Eris is the first Australian-designed and built rocket aiming for orbit. It stands at 82 feet (25 meters) tall and can deliver a payload of up to 474 pounds (215 kilograms) to a 310-mile-altitude (500 kilometers) sun-synchronous orbit. Eris consists of three stages and uses hybrid propulsion. Gilmour, however, noted that the company may face hurdles including weather conditions, technical issues, or other factors that could lead to scrubs or delays and the team works towards the launch. "Safety is always the top priority. We'll only launch when we're ready, and when conditions are appropriate," he said. He also tempered expectations by stating that a first launch is the hardest, noting also that private rocket companies very rarely successfully launch to orbit at the first attempt, adding that SpaceX only achieved this feat on its fourth effort. RELATED STORIES: — Australian company Gilmour Space gets country's 1st orbital launch license — UK approves 1st vertical rocket launch from Saxavord Spaceport — There was nearly 1 rocket launch attempt every 34 hours in 2024 — this year will be even busier "Whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q, or get all the way to space, what's important is that every second of flight will deliver valuable data that will improve our rocket's reliability and performance for future launches," Gilmour said. Gilmour Space was kicked off its rocket program in 2015 and currently has more than 200 employees. The company is backed by private investors including Blackbird, Main Sequence, Fine Structure Ventures, Queensland Investment Corporation, and superannuation funds like HESTA, Hostplus, and NGS Super. It also builds satellite platforms and aims to lower the cost of access to space.
