Australian company Gilmour Space has announced the launch window for its first-ever orbital launch attempt.
Gilmour Space announced on Feb. 24 that it is targeting a launch no earlier than March 15 from its own Bowen Orbital Spaceport in northern Queensland, following approval from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The company secured its launch license for what is designated TestFlight1 late last year.
“This will be the first attempt of an Australian rocket to reach orbit from Australian soil,” Adam Gilmour, co-founder and CEO of Gilmour Space, said in a statement.
Eris is the first Australian-designed and built rocket aiming for orbit. It stands at 82 feet (25 meters) tall and can deliver a payload of up to 474 pounds (215 kilograms) to a 310-mile-altitude (500 kilometers) sun-synchronous orbit. Eris consists of three stages and uses hybrid propulsion.
Gilmour, however, noted that the company may face hurdles including weather conditions, technical issues, or other factors that could lead to scrubs or delays and the team works towards the launch. “Safety is always the top priority. We’ll only launch when we’re ready, and when conditions are appropriate,” he said.
He also tempered expectations by stating that a first launch is the hardest, noting also that private rocket companies very rarely successfully launch to orbit at the first attempt, adding that SpaceX only achieved this feat on its fourth effort.
“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,” Gilmour said.
Gilmour Space was kicked off its rocket program in 2015 and currently has more than 200 employees.
The company is backed by private investors including Blackbird, Main Sequence, Fine Structure Ventures, Queensland Investment Corporation, and superannuation funds like HESTA, Hostplus, and NGS Super. It also builds satellite platforms and aims to lower the cost of access to space.
