Australian start-up’s planned space rocket launch aborted due to technical difficulties
A space rocket launch expected to be Australia’s first all sovereign made rocket takeoff was aborted after technical issues were detected.
National
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A rocket launch expected to be Australia’s first all sovereign made rocket take off was aborted after technical issues were detected.
From a site near Goondiwindi on the NSW-Queensland border, Black Sky Aerospace was set to signal its entry into the domestic space race with the firing and evaluation of the rocket to 35,000ft and a safe parachute to ground.
The launch was to first happen on Saturday but strong winds saw the launch delayed 24 hours, then several other windows to launch shut as “technical issues” were found.
A spokesman would not go into what the issue was but confirmed it would be several weeks before approvals were granted and another launch attempted.
Prior to the planned launch, Black Sky CEO and founder Blake Nikolic was excited.
“It’s massive for us,” he said.
“This will be the first in a series of four launches that will see Black Sky fly the first complete sovereign made vehicle, from the rocket fuel itself, the avionics, electronics and airframe and component launching into space, in 2022. So it’s a massive deal that we have the support of the (federal) government that is driving an industry to deliver space capability again and our part is being one of those launch providers to deliver and we are expecting to be the first launch provider from Australia to go to space.”
It was to last only four and a half minutes, but would have been Australia’s first step toward a giant leap into space.
The Black Sky Aerospace rocket launch will be the first in a planned four-step process to next year cross the fabled Karman Line delineation between Earth atmosphere and space.
But while its launch heralds entry into Australia’s own mini version of a space race, a second test and evaluation static missile motor firing will also have significant military implications toward a sovereign missile industry, with use of a locally developed solid rocket fuel.
It’s the sort of tech Defence Minister Peter Dutton said this week was critical to Australia developing a homegrown explosive ordnance enterprise.
“These are exciting times,” said Black Sky CEO and founder Blake Nikolic, a former ADF Army pilot and big scale fireworks and explosives expert whose CV includes key co-ordinator for the 2008 Beijing Olympics fireworks display and other projects in China.
It is believed to be the first time since 1971 that a fully Australian designed and manufactured rocket and fuel has been launched and will carry a commercial payload for a cyber security company.
Mr Nikolic said he had run other tests but this one would be first rung of a four step ladder to achieve space.
“We have an Aussie homegrown avionics system to provide information around the flight, telemetry data so we can see where the rocket is tracking, how it is performing and what’s unique about that is this is the first time this piece of avionics will be flown in a real environment and will drive toward our future space launch,” he said.
“I think it is the first time a completely sovereign developed avionics system that is designed to power a complete rocket system has been flown in Australia. There are other packages out there that people have manufactured to go on things like satellites and other things in space but I’m not aware of any other system that is driving a complete rocket itself.”
It’s been a meticulous journey for the south east Queensland aero company beginning in 2018 when it made Australia’s first suborbital rocket launch with a commercial payload in a major step in Australia’s fledgling space industry.
The following year it was given the green light by explosive regulators to begin manufacturing Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) which is a solid fuel propellant to push rockets into space such as used by the NASA space shuttle program.
Now explosive regulators, the Australian Space Agency and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), have cleared the rocket to reach the altitude of a commercial airline 35,000ft, the only difference being this will take 30 seconds not 30 minutes to reach.
The tracked rocket, is expected to fall back to Earth via interval release of two parachutes. The launch is set for Sunday, while a static fire to test solid missile fuel burn will take place on Saturday.
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