Written by staff writer.
Gilmour Space says they are still working on the launch permit before Australia’s first orbital rocket launch can occur, with their planned first-quarter 2024 launch date now pushed back by several months.
The Gold Coast-based space company officially opened their Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland on April 4, 2024. However, they were unable to provide a firm first launch date because the Australian Space Agency (ASA) is yet to issue the necessary permit.
Three months ago, the ASA told this outlet that it would issue the permit once all the criteria in the Space (Launches and Returns) Act (2018) were demonstrably satisfied. Despite the lethargic bureaucratic pace, the ASA said it was supportive of Gilmour’s ambitions and that their launches would open the “full value chain of space activities for Australia.” At the time, Gilmour Space had hoped to conduct its maiden launch of their Eris rocket in March 2024.
“There are thousands of satellites that need to get launched every year for the next ten years, and there aren’t enough orbital vehicles to do this,” Gilmour Space CEO Adam Gilmour told media in Bowen yesterday. The opening of the spaceport follows the ASA granting it a facility licence last month. “The ability to launch our own satellites, on launch vehicles that we own and control, to key orbits in space from Australia, will be a significant capability for our global customers and our nation and allies.”
The spaceport is located in Queensland’s Abbot Point State Development Area and will cater to satellite clients looking for 20 – 65, low to mid-inclination equatorial orbits. “We needed to be as close to the Equator as possible, not only to get the spin from the Earth’s rotation, but (launching from close the Equator) lets you go to more places in space,” said Gilmour.
Gilmour’s 35-tonne Eris rocket will be the first Australian-made rocket launched into space from Australia. The 25-metre tall rocket was manufactured at the Gold Coast, and its stages trucked to Bowen for reassembly.
Last week, Enrico Palermo, head of the ASA, visited the Bowen Spaceport to talk about the significance of the Eris launch. He said getting the rocket to the launch pad was an achievement. However, he did not say what the permit holdup issue was at his agency.
The official opening of the spaceport, which Gilmour said was years in the making, attracted a conga line of politicians, including Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment Cameron Dick, and Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace.
“More than ever, the space sector is recognised as critical for sovereign capability in defence, telecommunications, industry innovation and competitiveness, climate change, and in the day-to-day technology we all us,” Grace said.
Gilmour did not publicly comment on the delays at the ASA and did not get drawn on any particular launch date. However, local outlets were reporting that it would likely occur in late April / early May.
