Latest news with #GilmourSpace
Mint
an hour ago
- Business
- Mint
Australian rocket crashes 14 seconds after lift off from launch pad
An Australian rocket, representing the country's first attempt to reach orbit with a domestically produced vehicle, crashed soon after launch. On Wednesday, Gilmour Space Technologies, a space startup, conducted its first test flight of the Eris rocket from its Bowen Orbital Spaceport, approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) northwest of Brisbane. The flight lasted about 14 seconds, reported Bloomberg, citing a company statement. The launch occurred after months of delays, as Gilmour Space initially planned to debut in March but had to postpone several times, including a delay in May due to a problem with the rocket's payload fairing. 'Space is hard,' said Chief Executive Officer Adam Gilmour in the statement. 'SpaceX, Rocket Lab and others needed multiple test flights to reach orbit. We've learned a tremendous amount that will go directly into improving our next vehicle, which is already in production," he added. It's common for new rockets to fail on their initial launch, and the three-stage Eris rocket wasn't carrying any satellites or valuable payloads. Gilmour told Bloomberg News before the launch that success would mean just successfully lifting off the launch pad. The Eris carried a small payload, which included a jar of Vegemite, the thick black spread on toast that is typically considered a national symbol of Australia. Gilmour Space, based in the Gold Coast, Queensland, began its rocket programme in 2015 and had initially planned to launch by 2023. The launch date was postponed while awaiting regulatory approval. The approximately 25-metre (82-foot) tall rocket utilises a hybrid liquid-solid propellant system, which Gilmour Space claims is safer and cheaper than the liquid or solid fuels used by many other rockets. On July 25, the Australian Space Agency announced that Gilmour was awarded A$5 million (approximately $3.3 million) from the Australian government to speed up the rocket engine development. The company also receives support from investors such as Blackbird Ventures and Queensland Investment Corporation. 'We have quite a lot of investors that are interested in investing in the company,' Gilmour said. 'But they're obviously waiting to see what happens with the launch before they decide to invest or not.'
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Science
- The Guardian
‘We have a cloud, and that's the end': first Australian-made orbital rocket crashes shortly after takeoff
The spaceship hovered for less than a minute before crashing in a giant plume of smoke, but it was history-making nonetheless – the attempted launch of an orbital rocket designed and made in Australia. The Eris rocket was built by Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space and briefly blasted off from the Bowen orbital spaceport in north Queensland on Wednesday morning, after months of waiting for the right conditions. The orbit attempt was watched on from the surrounding hills by enthusiasts and streamed live by the likes of YouTuber Josh Keegan, also known as Aussienaut. Sign up: AU Breaking News email 'OK we're going, we're going, it's going!' Keegan said with breathless excitement after a second day of patient watching – but the celebrations did not last long. 'It's gone, it's gone,' Keegan said seconds later. 'Oh no, it didn't go, there wasn't sufficient thrust to actually keep it up. 'I believe that's the end of the Eris rocket. We have a cloud, and that's the end.' But while the billow of smoke may have marked the end of Eris, Gilmour and the nascent Australian space industry hope this failed orbit attempt will prove just a beginning. Gilmour Space issued a statement shortly afterwards saying Eris's 14 seconds of flight brought Australia closer to the club of six nations who regularly launch spacecraft to orbit. '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,' the statement read. 'Most importantly, the team is safe and energised for Test Flight 2.' The company's CEO, Adam Gilmour, posted on social media that he 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.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The 23-metre-long, 30-tonne rocket was covered in sensors from which the Queensland company will hope to glean information to assist future launch attempts. One Giant Leap Australia Foundation, which develops education programs geared toward growing a future workforce in the space industry, was among those to congratulate Gilmour Space for a 'sterling effort'. 'The only way to learn is to fail forward,' it posted on social media. 'We know more today than we did yesterday.' Gilmour Space was poised to launch on Tuesday but winds were too strong. It had also sought to launch in May but did not. The company received $5m from the Australian government for its Eris launch vehicle last week to develop its next-generation liquid rocket engine.
ABC News
5 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
Australian-made rocket crashes after attempted north Queensland launch
An Australian-designed and manufactured rocket has lifted off in the first launch attempt from home soil, though it crashed shortly after. 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.
Mint
6 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
Australian Rocket With Vegemite Aboard Crashes Shortly After Take-Off
(Bloomberg) -- An Australian rocket crashed shortly after taking off, marking the first attempt to reach orbit with a made-in-Australia vehicle. Space startup Gilmour Space Technologies' first test flight of its Eris rocket left the launch pad at the company's Bowen Orbital Spaceport, about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) northwest of Brisbane, on Wednesday morning local time. It flew for about 14 seconds, the company said in a statement. The launch came after months of delays, with Gilmour Space having aimed for a debut in March before pushing back the date multiple times, including a postponement in May because of an issue with the rocket's payload fairing. 'Space is hard,' Chief Executive Officer Adam Gilmour said in the statement. 'SpaceX, Rocket Lab and others needed multiple test flights to reach orbit. We've learned a tremendous amount that will go directly into improving our next vehicle, which is already in production.' It's not unusual for a new rocket to fail on its first launch attempt, and the three-stage Eris rocket wasn't carrying any satellites or other expensive cargo. Gilmour told Bloomberg News ahead of the launch that success would be defined as lifting off the launch pad. The Eris had a minimal payload that included a jar of Vegemite, the thick black toast spread that many Australians consider a national symbol. Based on the Gold Coast, Queensland state, Gilmour Space started its rocket program in 2015 and had hoped to launch as early as 2023. It pushed back that timeline as it waited for regulatory approval. The roughly 25-meter (82-foot) tall rocket uses a hybrid liquid-solid propellant technology, a system that Gilmour Space says is safer and cheaper than the liquid or solid fuels that many other rockets use. The Australian Space Agency announced on July 25 that Gilmour received A$5 million ($3.3 million) from Australia's government to accelerate the development of the rocket's engine. The company also has backing from investors including Blackbird Ventures and Queensland Investment Corporation. 'We have quite a lot of investors that are interested in investing in the company,' Gilmour said. 'But they're obviously waiting to see what happens with the launch before they decide to invest or not.' (Updates to add details from statement throughout.) More stories like this are available on
NZ Herald
11 hours ago
- Science
- NZ Herald
Australian rocket test with Vegemite payload ends in 14-second flight
Gilmour Space Technologies tested an orbital rocket carrying a jar of Vegemite, achieving 14 seconds of flight. Photo / @GilmourSpace via X Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Gilmour Space Technologies tested an orbital rocket carrying a jar of Vegemite, achieving 14 seconds of flight. Photo / @GilmourSpace via X An Australian aerospace company has celebrated the short-lived test launch of an orbital rocket carrying a jar of Vegemite in its nose cone. After waiting 18 months for the right launch window, the three-stage Eris rocket achieved about 14 seconds of flight before sputtering to Earth in a plume of smoke. It was built by Gilmour Space Technologies, which is vying to send the first locally built rocket into orbit from Australian soil. 'I'm so relieved, you couldn't believe,' chief executive Adam Gilmour told AFP. 'I was so nervous about it getting off the pad, that when it did I screamed in pure joy.'
