Space ambitions soar: $52m funding boost for Gilmour Space Technologies
Queensland’s space dreams are coming to life as Gilmour Space secures a staggering $52m funding boost. Find out how the investment propels orbital ambitions.
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Australia’s space dreams are inching closer with the announcement of another $52m for Gilmour Space Technologies to build out space manufacturing on the Gold Coast and its orbital spaceport at Bowen.
The money from the federal government is part of a larger $156m pot dedicated to the Australian Space Manufacturing Network, which consists of a range of companies and non-profit organisations developing hardware space technology.
Gilmour Space plans to launch two orbital space vehicles per year from its Bowen spaceport from 2024 onwards.
“The funding is going to help us progress space manufacturing in Australia and particularly in Queensland, an area that hasn’t been a focus for the government as yet and so there’s a lot of potential, not just for collaborations, but also for commercial opportunities, within Australia and globally,” a Gilmour spokeswoman said.
She said the money would go primarily to building two new facilities at the Gold Coast.
The Bowen spaceport was already largely completed.
“We’re building the ground support equipment infrastructure and equipment for launch (at Bowen) and after that the main thing is getting approvals,” she said.
Gilmour’s original 2022 launch date has been pushed back as the company battles staff shortages, supply chain woes, rising input costs and regulatory hurdles.
The spokeswoman said the size and location of the new Gold Coast facilities is still to be decided.
“We have to see what is available,” she said.
Gilmour Space CEO Adam Gilmour thanked the ASMN partners as well as the Department of Industry, Ccience and Resources, the state government and City of Gold Coast for supporting “this significant project”.
He said the hub would help companies advance their products and services to higher “technology readiness levels”.
“(It will) facilitate more commercial-focused collaborations, provide valuable supply chain opportunities and a path to launching their products to space,” he said.
ASMN participants include Australian and international space companies such as Mu Space, SatRevolution and Queensland Robotics as well as Australian universities Griffith University, CQUniversity and Swinburne University of Technology.
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