Australian-made rocket crashes after attempted north Queensland launch
Gilmour Space Technologies attempted to launch its orbital rocket, called Eris, from a spaceport in the north Queensland community of Bowen on Wednesday morning.
The rocket was in the air for less than a minute.
Spectators who gathered in Bowen reported hearing a blast and seeing large plumes of smoke at the launch and for some time after.
Co-founder Adam Gilmour posted to social media that the company was happy with the launch attempt.
"Got off the pad, I am happy," he wrote.
"Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this."
Gilmour Space released a statement with further information celebrating the unprecedented event.
"Today, Eris became the first Australian made orbital launch vehicle to lift off from Australian soil," the statement read.
"For a maiden test flight, especially after an extended 18-month wait on the pad for approvals, this is a strong result and a major step forward for Australia's sovereign space capability."
The company said Eris had 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight.
Initial assessments of the Bowen Orbital Spaceport found launch infrastructure intact.
The Gold Coast company tried to proceed with launch attemptsseveral times this year but was hampered by weather and technical issues.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate congratulated the company.
"Congratulations to Gilmour Space Technologies on having a crack. They truly exemplify the Gold Coast 'have a go' spirit," Cr Tate said.
"They are literally a Gold Coast company aiming for the stars. If you ever wanted an example of how diversified our economy is now, this is it.
"We look forward to following their progress in the years ahead."
'Part of history'
For Mackay resident Andrew Hyland, this was his third trip to Bowen to witness the rocket take-off.
"I've been up here since the first launch was programmed to go," he said.
"Being Australia's first launch in 50 years and first Australian-made … it's part of history, you can't miss out on history."
Bowen residents Helen and Douglas Tawse were ready to watch the rocket take off from the beach.
Ms Tawse said the launch would "put Bowen on the map".
Mr Tawse said the launch could generate benefits for the small north Queensland community.
"I never thought I'd ever see the day,"
Mr Tawse said.
"If they're talking about more satellites going up, it would have to help Bowen's economy in the long term."
Pointed towards the sky, this Australian-first rocket is set to blast a small town into the global spotlight
Photo shows A rocket on scaffolding is lifted up on a launch pad.
It's taken the Gilmour brothers nearly 10 years to build and design a locally made orbital rocket. Space enthusiasts are set to flock to north Queensland to see it lift off.
'Burgeoning commercial' industry
Gilmour Space Technologies has received Australian Government support for its Bowen project, including $5 million for the Eris launch vehicle announced last week.
University of Southern Queensland astrobiologist and astronomer, Jonti Horner, said the launch of the Eris rocket was exciting and showed a maturation of the space industry.
Professor Horner said that historically, only government-run space agencies had the capability to launch rockets.
"In the last decade or so, there has been very much an explosion in our use of space, and that's been because there has been a shift to commercial capacity to put things into orbit," he said.
"As soon as it becomes a commercial enterprise, that means the technology is now much more mature and the prices drop hugely, and there is now this burgeoning global industry of commercial spaceflight and the commercial use of space."
Gilmour Space Technologies cut its May launch campaign short after staff reported two anomalies on different days.
The first was a power supply issue, and the second was the premature opening of the spacecraft's payload fairing, or nose cone.
The company hopes to eventually send satellites into orbit from Australia for commercial entities and the government.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Red tape cut for farmers looking to build small on-farm abattoirs in Victoria
The Victorian government will change the state planning rules for micro abattoirs, allowing farmers to fast-track the construction of small processing facilities on their properties. On Thursday, the Victorian government tabled its response to the inquiry into the food security in Victoria report. The inquiry, which delivered its report in November, found demand for fresh fruit and vegetables was increasing as the state's population grew, and urban encroachment into farmland was making it difficult and expensive to grow food close to Victorian cities. The report made 33 recommendations and, in its response, the Victorian government said it would support in full or in part 29 of the recommendations, including the suggestion that it should be easier for small producers to access kill facilities for livestock. Small producers have faced limited options for processing their animals after large, often foreign-owned, abattoirs stopped taking small orders. In its response, the Victorian government said it would amend its planning provisions "to make it easier to establish micro abattoirs in appropriate rural and regional areas". This will mean that on most rural and agriculture-zoned land, small abattoirs will not require a planning permit. Those abattoirs will still be subject to health and environmental laws, with the Environmental Protection Authority and Victorian meat regulator Primesafe sign-off needed. Central Victoria farmer and spokesperson for the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance Tammi Jonas said it had taken her several years to get the planning permits for her micro abattoir, but the change would substantially lower the red tape. She said the facilities were important for small businesses like hers that did not process large numbers of animals to supply farmers' markets, local cafes and restaurants. Chinese-owned abattoir Kilcoy Global Foods stopped taking small orders last year, forcing Ms Jonas to drive more than three hours to get her animals processed. "It's going to be a massive relief for everyone to hear that we won this because the access has been diminishing rapidly across Australia, not only in Victoria," Ms Jonas said. She said small-scale abattoirs on farms could provide better welfare outcomes for animals, with less travel and stress on livestock prior to processing. Ms Jonas said she knew of at least six similar small abattoir projects that, once the changes were made by the Victorian government, would face minimal planning processes. Ms Jones said she thought other states should follow suit. A Victorian government spokesperson said they hoped to make the planning amendments by the end of the year. "Micro abattoirs will soon be treated as part of a full range of farming activities on those located in farming, rural activity, and green wedge zones — this aligns with the way boning rooms on farms are already treated," the spokesperson said. "This will make it easier for small-scale producers to control their whole supply chain while continuing to meet Victoria's high food safety and animal welfare requirements and environmental protection and community amenity standards." Victorian Farmers Federation livestock president Scott Young said the farming body would be "closely watching how these planning reforms are implemented" and wanted to make sure food safety, animal welfare, and traceability systems were maintained. "We must ensure any new micro abattoir approvals uphold those standards, not create loopholes that could put markets or community trust at risk," he said. "Supporting local processing is a good thing — but it must be done right, with appropriate oversight and a level playing field for all producers."
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
New ‘super-sized' insect species discovered in Qld rainforest
A giant new species of 'super-sized' stick insect has been discovered in a remote rainforest in North Queensland. The insect, weighing around 44g and measuring 40cm long, is believed to be the heaviest ever found in the country. Footage captured of the incredible insect shows its large wingspan displayed across someone's arm, measuring similar to the length of a small bird. The new species has been named Acrophylla alta – a nod to its high-altitude habitat in the Atherton Tablelands. It's roughly the same size as a small barn owl or a wood pigeon, and is 14g heavier than Australia's heaviest insect; the giant wood moth. James Cook University's Angus Emmott and south-east Queensland scientist Ross Coupland searched for the stick insect after they received a photograph of what they believed was an unknown species. Despite its elusive nature, the pair managed to find a female at an elevation above 900 metres in the Wet Tropics Wold Heritage Area. Professor Emmott said the creature's large size could be an evolutionary response to its cool, wet habitat. 'Their body mass likely helps them survive the colder conditions, and that's why they've developed into this large insect over millions of years,' said Professor Emmott. 'The remote habitat was probably also why it had remained undiscovered for so long.' It's restricted to a small area of high-altitude rainforest, and it lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them,' he said. The stick insect's distinctive eggs also helped scientists identify it as a new species, as no two species' eggs are the same. 'Every species of stick insect has their own distinct egg style,' said Professor Emmott. 'They've all got different surfaces and different textures and pitting, and they can be different shapes.' Two specimens are now being kept at the Queensland Museum in hopes they can aid future research. Currently, the insect's life span is still unknown.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
ATM supplier atm2go begins removes machines from stores linked to illicit tobacco trade
A second ATM supplier – whose machines were once used by a cannabis kingpin – has begun pulling out its devices from stores linked to the illicit tobacco trade. The move by Queensland-based atm2go follows an ABC investigation which revealed how ATM companies were fuelling predominantly cash sales of illegal cigarettes by placing their private machines in stores. Rival supplier Next Payments publicly acknowledged the problem late last month and began removing 40 machines it believed were linked to the illicit trade. Major payments processing company EFTEX, which industry sources said handled transactions for atm2go, has vowed to cease handling transactions for tobacco stores from September following media scrutiny. Atm2go refused to discuss the matter when contacted by the ABC. "No comment," one senior member of the company said this week, before hanging up. The ABC had found atm2go machines in a string of stores selling illicit cigarettes — with sales occurring even after some shops in Queensland had been suspended by health authorities for breaching tobacco laws. Court documents also showed atm2go had cut deals to install ATMs with a man charged and later convicted with proceeds of crime and tobacco offences. In another case in Darwin, a man jailed for massive cannabis dealing had atm2go machines that he told an underling to load with drug cash. The ABC this week revisited four south-east Queensland locations that had been selling illegal cigarettes. In the past two months, atm2go machines were found inside but the machines were gone this week from three shops. A sign outside one of the stores in Oxley, on Brisbane's southside, said: "The ATM has been removed. Please use the ATM located inside where Woolies is." People with knowledge of the machines said the removalists had come suddenly. The fourth store in inner Brisbane's West End had a sign plastered across the atm2go machine saying it was not working and implored customers to: "please bring cash next time as the ATM will be out for awhile!" Atm2go was once heavily focused on events and used a franchise system, but industry sources said COVID-19 and ensuing lockdowns had disrupted its model. The company had in recent years been crowing in social media posts about putting machines in stores selling tobacco. Federal Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's office has asked regulators to examine private ATMs.
