Australia is poised to be the next country to take the giant leap into orbit.
Aussie-based company Gilmour Space received the country’s first orbital launch license this week, as it prepares for the first test flight of its Eris rocket.
A specific launch date is expected within the next few weeks, according to a Gilmour Space press release, with a liftoff from the company’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport, in northern Queensland.
Gilmour Space opened its doors in 2015, and has since grown to more than 200 employees. Located on Queensland’s Gold Coast, the company has developed its spaceport and launch vehicle almost entirely from domestic resources, creating its own Australian supply chain network of over 300 companies.
Related: Rocket Lab launches mystery mission on company’s 12th launch of 2024 (video)
“Success here isn’t just about reaching orbit,” Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins said in the release. “It’s about positioning Bowen as a key player in Australia’s journey to space. This is just the beginning.”
Collins’ sentiment was echoed by Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. “This homegrown company is reinvesting in itself and in our city, creating high-value jobs and opportunities for the next generation of Gold Coast innovators,” Tate said.
The maiden voyage for the Eris rocket, designated TestFlight1, will be the first of several for the launch vehicle, as Gilmour Space qualifies its systems and propulsion technology. The company has been in preparations for several months leading up to the first Eris launch, and completed a key fueling test known as a wet dress rehearsal with the vehicle in September, proceeding until T-10 seconds into the countdown.
Gilmour Space founder and CEO Adam Gilmour heralded the launch permit 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,” he said in the press release.