Australia’s first attempt to launch a home-made rocket into orbit ended in failure on Wednesday.The 23-metre Eris vehicle crashed just 14 seconds after take-off. The rocket rose briefly, gained some thrust, then came crashing down just seconds later.The test flight was carried out by Gilmour Space Technologies. The failed mission took place from a spaceport near Bowen in northern Queensland. Although the rocket cleared the launch tower, it struggled mid-air before disappearing from view. A plume of smoke was seen rising above the site shortly after.Despite the failed attempt to reach orbit, the company described the launch as a milestone. “All four hybrid-propelled engines ignited and the maiden flight included 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight,” a Gilmour Space spokesperson said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Company CEO says ‘happy’ with results
Gilmour Space is a company that designs and manufactures rockets in Australia. It had aimed to use Eris to carry small satellites into orbit. The launch marked the first time an Australian-designed and built orbital rocket lifted off from within the country.CEO Adam Gilmour remained optimistic. “Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this,” he wrote on LinkedIn. In a previous statement made in February, Gilmour noted that it was “almost unheard of” for a private company to succeed on its first orbital launch attempt.The firm had previously said the test would be considered successful if the rocket simply left the ground. According to the company, the launch site infrastructure remained intact.Mayor Ry Collins of the Whitsunday Regional Council also praised the launch, calling it a “huge achievement” even though the rocket failed to reach orbit. “This is an important first step towards the giant leap of a future commercial space industry right here in our region,” he said in a Facebook post.Gilmour Space Technologies is backed by private investors and was recently awarded a 5 million Australian dollar grant by the federal government to support the development of the Eris rocket. This follows a 52 million dollar grant agreement secured in 2023 aimed at boosting the country’s space technology efforts.Australia has seen hundreds of suborbital launches, but only two successful orbital launches have taken place from its soil before. The maiden flight of Eris was the first orbital attempt in over 50 years.No injuries were reported from the incident.
