History made as Australia launches rocket — then crashes
Gilmour Space Technologies has hailed their rocket's 14 second flight in far north Queensland a success, calling it a "major step forward".
The 23m, 35 tonne orbital rocket named Eris, took off from a spaceport at Bowen on Wednesday morning.
It left the launch pad into the air shortly after 8.30am with plumes of smoke erupting from underneath the rocket before hovering in the air briefly and crashing into the ground nearby.
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The Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technologies confirmed Eris became the first rocket to lift off from Australian soil, achieving 14 seconds of flight.
"For a maiden test flight, especially after an extended 18-month wait on the pad for final approvals, this is a strong result and a major step forward for Australia's sovereign space capability," it said on Facebook.
"Most importantly, the team is safe and energised for Test Flight 2.
"Only six nations launch to orbit regularly — and just a handful are working to join them. Today brings Australia closer to that club."
New Zealand joined the list of nations with orbital launch capability in January, 2018.
Gilmour Space Technologies confirmed the ignition of all four rocket engines with 23 seconds of engine burn time. It said the rocket cleared the tower after lift-off from the spaceport, before crashing.
Early indications also suggested the launch site infrastructure remained intact.
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The company previously said it would deem the launch a success if the rocket left the ground.
"It's almost unheard of for a private rocket company to launch successfully to orbit the first time," chief executive Adam Gilmour said in February.
"Whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q, or get all the way to space, 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."
The launch has previously been delayed on multiple occasions this year due to weather conditions and technical issues.
It was set to take off on Tuesday afternoon and was 10 minutes out from launching, but was forced to halt proceedings due to the high winds that were "above the safety commit limits set by regulators".
Gilmour Space Technologies was recently awarded a $5 million (NZ$5.4 million) grant from the federal government to assist with the launch after receiving $52 million (NZ$56.7 million) in Commonwealth funding to lead a space manufacturing network in Australia.
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