Gilmour receives clearance for launch

Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technologies has been granted Australian first orbital launch permit, enabling launch of its Eris rocket from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland.

The permit was granted by Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science, and the Australian Space Agency.

An Australian launch permit is required under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018 to launch an object from Australia to an altitude of over 100km. It comes with a number of conditions that must be met before launch, and a mandatory 30-day notification period.

Gilmour Space CEO and co-founder, Adam Gilmour, welcomed the news as a major milestone for the local space industry. “With this green light, we will soon attempt the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil.

“Our team is assessing the conditions of the permit and will advise on the anticipated launch date for Eris TestFlight1 in the coming weeks.”

In March this year Gilmour’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport was granted Australia’s first orbital launch facility licence by Minister Husic. And in September the company announced it had successfully completed a major wet dress rehearsal of its Eris launch vehicle, progressing the countdown to T-10 seconds.

The upcoming TestFlight1 will be the first of several planned test launches to reach orbit with Eris, which leverages new propulsion technologies developed by the Gold Coast-based company. Its Bowen spaceport, one of only a few private orbital launch sites globally, will initially provide access to low- and mid-inclination orbits.