BOWEN, Australia (BN24) — The first Australian-made rocket to attempt reaching orbit from within the country crashed just 14 seconds after liftoff on Wednesday, marking a dramatic end to a historic test flight that nonetheless signaled progress for Australia’s fledgling space industry.
The 23-meter (75-foot) Eris rocket, developed by Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies, lifted off Wednesday morning from a spaceport near the coastal town of Bowen in northern Queensland. The orbital-class rocket was designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit, a key milestone for Australia’s domestic aerospace ambitions.
Video footage published by Australian news outlets showed the rocket successfully clearing the launch tower before appearing to hover and then fall back toward the ground. A plume of smoke rose over the launch site, but no injuries or structural damage were reported.
Despite the short-lived flight, Gilmour Space hailed the event as a successful maiden launch. In a statement posted to Facebook, the company said all four hybrid engines ignited properly, delivering 23 seconds of burn time and 14 seconds of flight. The company previously postponed launches in May and earlier this month due to technical issues and unfavorable weather.
Company founder and CEO Adam Gilmour expressed optimism following the test, stating on LinkedIn, “Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this.” In February, Gilmour noted that it’s “almost unheard of” for a private company to achieve orbit on its first launch attempt.
The company had maintained that the test flight would be considered a success if the rocket cleared the pad, and local officials echoed that sentiment.
“This is an important first step towards the giant leap of a future commercial space industry right here in our region,” said Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins in a Facebook post, calling the launch a “huge achievement.”
Gilmour Space Technologies, which has attracted private investment and government support, was awarded a 5 million Australian dollar ($3.2 million) grant earlier this month from the federal government. The firm previously received AU$52 million in 2023 to support the development and commercialization of next-generation space technologies.
Although Australia has hosted hundreds of suborbital launches, successful orbital missions from its territory have been rare. According to NASASpaceFlight, only two previous launches to orbit have originated from the country. The Eris mission marked the first orbital launch attempt from Australian soil in more than five decades.
The company plans to analyze flight data to improve future versions of the Eris rocket as it continues toward its goal of placing satellites into orbit using domestically built launch vehicles.
