First Australian made and owned rocket test flight coming…

Gilmour Space Technologies is looking to put Australia on the map when it comes to space flight with the first test flight of an Australian-made and owned rocket coming in a few months.

Started in 2013 by brothers Adam and James Gilmour the launch of their first rocket Eris would see Australia join the ranks of the 12 countries in the world that have their own orbital launch capability. They have designed and manufactured the orbital launch vehicle on the Gold Coast and fully assembled at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland.

‘As a nation, we rely heavily on space technologies to meet our civil, commercial and defence needs; but it is supplied almost entirely by foreign countries and companies,’ explained a spokesperson for Gilmour Space. 

‘Having our own “road to space” will give us more security, access, and control over our critical space infrastructure, and lead to a thriving new space industry.

Launch bottleneck 

‘Despite SpaceX’s incredible performance, there just aren’t enough rockets to take up the tens of thousands of satellites hoping to launch in the next five years. We’re looking to help close that gap for small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).’

Helping make this happen is the Queensland Investment Corporation, with co-investment from Blackbird, Main Sequence, Hostplus, HESTA Super, and Fine Structure Ventures, among others who have invested $55 million in Glimour Space.

Co-founder and CEO Adam Gilmour said the firepower brought by committed shareholders will ensure the business can meet its milestones over the medium term and leverage more immediate opportunities in Australia and abroad.

‘Our team is fortunate to be backed by high-calibre investors whose unwavering support has led to the development of Australia’s first orbital rocket, built by an Australian-owned company, and supported by a local space supply chain,’ Mr Gilmour said.

‘This investment will allow us to enhance Australia’s sovereign space and defence capabilities, onshore more manufacturing, and to hire and upskill even more Queenslanders.

‘Our vision is for rockets made and launched in Queensland, carrying satellites and other payloads to space for our global customers, and we’re incredibly grateful for the support of QIC in helping us realise that vision.’

SpaceX took four launch attempts to successfully make it to orbit and New Zealand’s Rocket Lab was the first private spaceport to host an orbital launch attempt and became the first private spaceport to host a successful orbital launch with the launch of the Electron on 21 January 2018.

QIC Private Equity Investment Director Patrick Christiansen said Gilmour’s ability to compete as a full-stack launch services provider will be a strong value proposition for an underserviced segment of the global space market.

‘Growing sovereign capabilities in Australian aerospace is often talked about, but it’s Adam and his team knuckling down and making it happen,’ Mr Christiansen said.

‘Never has an Australian-made, Australian-owned rocket launched into orbit, and we join the nation in eager anticipation as all eyes turn to Bowen for history to be written.

‘When we first invested in Gilmour, the team had just produced a ten-centimetre diameter hybrid rocket engine,’ Blackbird co-founding partner Rick Baker said.

‘It was a cute little thing that produced a fierce little flame, but the ambition of Adam and the team to build a full-scale rocket was clear. The achievements of the team in taking that technology through years of testing and iteration are coming to a head now.

‘This funding round will allow Gilmour to attempt multiple launches and to become the first Australian-built rocket to get to orbit. We’re so excited to be on the journey with the Gilmour team.’

The Eris Orbital Launch Vehicle is a three-stage rocket capable of launching small satellites into low earth orbits. It is anticipated to launch in the coming months pending launch approvals from the Australian Space Agency.