Southern Launch secures $1m grant, awards two local contracts

Two SA firms will build a transportable rocket launcher for spaceport provider Southern Launch after it secured a $1m grant from the Australian Space Agency.

Two South Australian companies have broken into Australia’s growing space industry after securing $1m worth of manufacturing work with local spaceport provider Southern Launch.

Ferretti International and Hydroil have been selected to build a mobile launch rail - a transportable rocket launcher - which will be used at Southern Launch’s two testing and launch sites on the Eyre Peninsula.

The project is being funded by a near $1m grant to Southern Launch as part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars program.

Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp said the project would create more than 10 local manufacturing jobs.

Artist's impression of the mobile launch rail. Picture: Supplied by Southern Launch

“The construction of a mobile launch rail means that we can use the rail at both our Koonibba and Whalers Way launch complexes,” he said.

“This offers greater flexibility in the space launch locations available in South Australia and strengthens our position as the space state in Australia.”

The mobile launch rail will be the first foray into space for Ferretti, a pipe fabrication and structural steel company that employs more than 100 staff at its Adelaide and Whyalla sites.

Ferretti business development manager Scott Searle said the project had the potential to unlock more opportunities in the space sector.

“Ensuring that Australia is home to strong manufacturing sector is extremely important to us,” he said.

Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“Being involved in a project in a new and emerging industry such as space, in our home state, gives us the confidence to go after similar projects both here and internationally.”

Family-owned hydraulic engineering specialists Hydroil, which also works across Adelaide and Whyalla, will design and provide a hydraulic system for the mobile launch rail.

Hydroil general manager Paul Dreimann said the company manufactured hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders for the mining, construction, transport, energy and aviation sectors, and the contract with Southern Launch was its first in the space sector.

“The skilled workforce we maintain in South Australia means we have the flexibility and expertise to take on new challenges such as this one for Southern Launch,” he said.

Southern Launch recently secured federal government approval for two sub-orbital rocket launches to take place later this year.

The company and rocket manufacturer ATSpace announced last month that they would launch the Kestrel I rockets from the Whalers Way complex in the coming months.

The launches will gather data about the environmental and noise impact of conducting launches from Whalers Way, and will also test the viability of the rockets themselves.