Earthly worries keep SA space racers’ feet on the ground

No one ever said going to space would be easy, and those trying to get there from regional SA are discovering the obstacles are more than just technical.

Space is hard.

It’s a well-known phrase in the rocket game, uttered by everyone from Elon Musk to General John W. “Jay” Raymond, boss of the newly formed Space Force.

And it was uttered by Lloyd Damp, head of Southern Launch, when strong winds scuttled attempts to launch a Taiwanese rocket from Whalers Way on September 8.

It was no doubt uttered again on September 10 when a technical issued stopped lift off and it was certainly uttered – possibly along with some stronger language – when the TiSpace rocket caught fire on the launch pad on September 16.

Southern Launch issued a statement following the fire saying that there would be no further attempts to launch the Taiwanese rocket.

“This test launch vehicle may not have taken Australia to space, however it has provided our teams with valuable data and insights, which will lead TiSPACE in refining their launch vehicle capabilities further, and Southern Launch with the vibration and noise data needed to support the major development of the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex.”

And while the technical side of shooting rockets into orbit is, undoubtedly, very hard there is another challenge facing Southern Launch – pushback from locals and environmental groups that believe the coastal location is very much the wrong spot for a rocket range.

Ian Taylor and Nel Taylor with David Bailey at Whalers Way near Port Lincoln. Picture: Robert Lang

This week saw documents lodged in the Environment, Resources and Development Court by Fishery Bay residents Ian and Penelope Taylor arguing that there were errors in the State Commission Assessment Panel’s approval of launch facilities at Whalers Way.

The Taylors are arguing that an incorrect application of the planning and development code resulted in the application being assessed under the category of “performance assessed” rather than “Impact assessed”, and the SCAP had erred in “fact and law”.

The pair are calling for a review of the SCAP’s approval for the site, arguing it had the potential to “fundamentally alter the character of the locality and cause potentially irreversible damage to an environment that is geologically unstable and vulnerable to land use changes”.

“The development will create unacceptable and potentially devastating risks to the locality that cannot be confidently mitigated by the strategies outlined by the respondent developers,” the pair submitted. “This includes a high risk to current threatened and endangered native fauna.”

Mr and Mrs Taylor claim the last 10km of the gravel “approach road”, Fishery Bay Road, was in a “bad condition” due to not having its annual grading by the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula.

TiSpace rocket at Whalers Way

“Bringing the proposed amount of traffic down this road will only worsen its already dangerous condition,” the submission said. “This also constitutes a risk to public safety.”

They also argued the last kilometre of Right Whale Road, which runs between their property and a cliff edge which overhangs Fishery Bay Beach, are less than 10m from the overhanging section.

“Sections of this cliff have been known in recent times to have dropped to the beach below. This is a risk to public safety and to the already eroded cliffs,” it stated.

They say the DCLEP should have alerted the panel to the state of the roads and at least requested time to grade the road before “heavy traffic was allowed to access”.

The pair said the “enormous amount of material” needed to be removed after the tests were not apparent or readily inferred from the wording of the application.

“Since the panel was not aware of the critical nature of the public road before the meeting, the requirement to remove this material was made on a mistaken premise,” they claimed.

An inspection of the Hapith I vehicle after the September 16 launch attempt. Picture: Southern Launch

They said a number of elements were “incorrectly assessed” by the relevant authority due to “insufficient information and a failure of the relevant authority to fully inform themselves of all relevant factual details”.

This included:

The impact of the proposed development on the public access road and community safety had not been correctly risk assessed.

The impact of the removal of construction works associated with the development was not given full and proper consideration by the relevant authority.

A significant conflict of interest was not disclosed to the relevant authority by the respondent developer.

They also said the development required referral and approval of the Australian Space Agency.

Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp. Picture: Kelly Barnes

They are asking to “have the issue of categorisation redetermined” and an interim injunction against Southern Space put in place to preserve the subject matter of proceedings until such time as the court can make final determination on the matter.

In response to the Taylor’s claims, Mr Damp said his company was “absolutely committed to ensuring our operations not only make a positive economic and social impact, but also work to safeguard the environment surrounding our launch sites for current and future generations.

“That is why we have devoted the past three years to the development of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement, which forms an integral part of our strategy to mitigate any environmental impacts of our Whaler’s Way Orbital Launch Complex.”

Mr Damp said he had confidence that the company had adhered to all necessary processes in seeking approval for test launches at Whalers Way, and that company

“acknowledged the right of any party to bring a matter of concern before the courts”.

“It is also important to note that, in this instance, the legal challenge was directed at the SCAP process and not at Southern Launch,” he said.

“Importantly, we look forward to the release of feedback that was received during the EIS consultation process in the coming weeks, which we are confident will demonstrate a high level of support for a project that will help South Australia capture a share of the $5.5 billion global space-launch market.”