Rocket pads Gilmour Space and Southern Launch get ready for lift off

Meanwhile, the Southern Launch Whalers Way Orbital launch complex in South Australia has been granted final environmental approvals for work on permanent facilities ahead of plans for its first launches in late 2025.

Patience has been a virtue for Gilmour Space and CEO and cofounder Adam Gilmour, who has been waiting for final approvals for a test flight for several months.

It’s the first Australian launch permit for orbital test flight. Gilmour Space Technologies has designed, developed and built the first Australian-made orbital rocket.

Since Gilmour Space was founded in 2013, the spacetech startup has grown to more than 200 employees, built a local supply chain of more than 300 Australian companies, raised $142 million in venture funding, including $19 million Series B in 2018 and $61 million in a Series C in June 2021 and earlier this year, a $55 million Series D, as well as attracting tens of millions in funding from local, state and federal governments.

Over the last two years, the company has also developed a rocket launch pad in North Queensland at Abbot Point, known as the Bowen Orbital Spaceport. It’s one of only a few private orbital launch sites globally, and will initially provide access to low- and mid-inclination orbits.

The 23-metres-high Eris rocket was first in place on the launch pad in mid-April and the team had hoped for a launch permit six months ago. In September, Gilmour Space announced a successful “wet dress rehearsal” of the Eris rocket, progressing the countdown to T-10 seconds.

Adam Gilmour said the approval was 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.”

The upcoming test flight is the first of several planned test launches to reach orbit with Eris, which leverages new propulsion technologies developed by Gilmour.

The company also plans to kick off a new suborbital flight test service in Australia next year for commercial and defence customers that require hypersonic speeds above Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound).

Follow updates on TestFlight1 at gspace.com/missions.

Gilmour Space’s Eris orbital launch vehicle at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north QLD

Southern Launch fires up

And 2850km away, Southern Launch will ramp up its ambitions for the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex on the Eyre Peninsula.

The approval is for two launch pads and associated infrastructure such as vehicle assembly buildings, clean rooms and integration facilities. Approvals have been granted initially for up to 42 launches per year.

It has ancillary tracking and telemetry sites to ensure vehicles can be observed from launch through to payload separation. The site can also accommodate hypersonic flight testing with land-based tracking systems.

Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said Whalers Way is one of the most versatile launch sites globally and can accommodate direct ascent trajectories from 55 to 177 degrees including polar, sun-synchronous orbits and 135-degree (equivalent to 45-degree) inclination.

“We understand that access to space is not one size fits all. The complex has been developed in a location that enables different launch trajectories and azimuths so space technology companies can get to where they need to be,” he said.

“Access to space is critical for humanity with many existing launch sites operating near capacity. The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex enables rapid access to orbit thanks to our good year-round weather and low sea and air traffic.”

The complements the sub-orbital Koonibba Test Range which is also operated by Southern Launch. In addition to sub orbital launches, it’s also capable of dealing with return space technology from orbit with multiple return missions planned for 2025.

The VS02 launch attempt at the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in 2022