Gilmour Space launches first Australian-built rocket from Bowen

After years of setbacks, history was made with the attempted launch of the first ever Australian-built rocket, right out of North Queensland.

The first ever Australian-built rocket has officially left the ground from from Bowen.

Gilmour Space Technologies made history with its Eris Testflight 1 from Bowen Orbital Spaceport around 8.30am, with the rocket leaving the ground before collapsing in a planned manoeuvre.
Co-founder and CEO of Gilmour Space, Adam Gilmour, said he was “happy about it”, especially considering the rocket has been sitting ready for a year and a half.

“The rocket wasn’t designed to do that, and we wanted to get off the pad at minimum,” Mr Gilmour said.

“We had all four engines fire off nicely, we avoided the pad, the rocket is off the pad now and no visible damage to the pad.”

Failed first attempt to launch of Eris 1 by Gold Coast company Gilmour Space Technologies from its Bowen launch pad. Picture: Krystal Hender

Thanks to the pad avoidance manoeuvre, he is optimistic they’ll be able to launch their second attempt in six months, with the rocket already being built.

A successful launch would bring small satellite payloads — and a jar of Vegemite — to the skies and open up a fresh industry for Australia.

YouTuber Aussienaut livestreamed the launch from a distance, which you can see in full here.

Gilmore Space rocket Eris became the first Australian made orbital launch vehicle to lift off from Australian soil on July 30 achieving around 14 seconds of flight. Photo: Gilmour Space Technologies

Gilmour Space announced on social media they were able to achieve around 14 seconds of flight which was a strong result and a major step forward for Australia’s sovereign space capability.

They said the team was safe and energised for Test Flight 2.

Grant and Robyn Godfrey from Cooloola Cove went up to Flagstaff Hill to watch the launch and said they were disappointed by the outcome.

“We expected to come up for a view, we didn’t expect the rocket, we’ve been waiting for it for a couple of weeks,” said Mr Godfrey.

Greg and Robyn Godfrey were disappointed the rocket launch wasn't able to go ahead in Bowen.

“We heard it before we saw it.

“We’re probably more disappointed for Bowen because this would be really good for this area.

“Wasn’t to be this time.”

Whitsunday mayor Ry Collins said he was incredibly excited by the opportunity the launch brings to the region.
“I’ll get a debrief from them later in the day but I imagine they’ll be reasonably happy to get off the ground at all.”

Mr Gilmour, said the first launch was always the hardest and reaching orbit would be a highly complex engineering challenge.

Gilmour Space launches its first rocket into orbit

“It’s almost unheard of for a private rocket company to launch successfully to orbit the first time,” he said.

“What’s important is that every second of flight will deliver valuable data that will improve our rocket’s reliability and performance for future launches.”

Mr Gilmour said there was potential to develop a new form of tourism in the Whitsundays.

Gilmour Space Technologies crew including Michelle Gilmour at the front. Picture: Supplied by Gilmour Space Technologies

“Bowen is fantastic to go and watch, you can go to some hills and look directly down on the launch site,” he said.

“I definitely think it could be Australia’s Cape Canaveral”, he said, referring to the US’s most famous rocket launch site.

Marketing and communications manager at Gilmour Space Technologies, Michelle Gilmour said there were only about six or seven other countries launching their own rockets so they would be “one of only a very few number of nations that are capable of getting our own satellites to space”.

The launch had been a long time coming, already pushed back from 2022 with design and development beginning six years ago and the launch being plagued by months of delays and postponements.

Originally published as Gilmour Space launches first Australian-built rocket from Bowen