The launch provider added that it had earmarked “a few potential sites” and would leverage its existing orbital launch technology but provided few other details.
Gilmour’s move into suborbital testing would potentially rival Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range in South Australia and ELA’s Arnhem Space Centre in the Northern Territory, though neither has specifically tested hypersonic technology.
“We’ve witnessed a surge in the research and development of hypersonic vehicles, materials, and other related technologies in recent years, especially since AUKUS,” said David Doyle, director of launch vehicles and satellites at Gilmour Space.
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“However, as many of these ideas progress from concept to prototyping and testing, we’re also seeing a growing bottleneck in high-speed flight test capabilities, beyond what ground-based shock tunnel testing and simulations can offer.”
Despite its relatively small aerospace industry, Australia is considered a pioneer in hypersonic technology.
Last year, Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems agreed a deal with the US Department of Defense while the University of Southern Queensland has its own hypersonic wind tunnel that can simulate the effect of Mach 5 speeds.
Gilmour, though, believes there is a gap in the market because while wind tunnel tests are excellent for scaled-down models, they struggle with larger vehicles.
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“Our new HyPeRsonic FLight Test (HPRFLT or Hyper Flight) service will help to bridge that gap by providing a real-life environment for researchers and companies to test, demonstrate, and advance their innovations to higher technology readiness levels (TRLs) in Australia,” Doyle said.
“This is a sovereign, Australian solution for a low-cost, rapid turnkey, hypersonic testbed that will be essential for translating early-stage research into high TRL technologies and platforms that can be used by the Australian Defence Force and our allies.”
The news comes with Gilmour still waiting to receive its launch permit from the Australian Space Agency to conduct the first blast-off of its Eris rocket.
The latest reports now suggest any lift-off would, at best, have to wait until September, a pushback from the already delayed date of mid-July.
Gilmour has been developing its three-stage launch vehicle for eight years and hopes to address a gap in the global market for small satellite launch providers.
The first blast-off will be a significant moment for the local industry, as Eris is the first Australian-designed and manufactured orbital rocket.
Gilmour had been targeting a launch in April but can’t attempt a lift-off without approval from the Australian Space Agency.
When a permit is eventually granted, the company will then have to wait an extra 30 days while the Space Agency notifies domestic and foreign governments of the impending launch.
In June, founder Adam Gilmour blamed the Australian Space Agency for the delays, quipping that regulators were asking questions “you wouldn’t believe”.
The criticism came despite the company receiving millions in grants, including $52 million from the federal government to lead a space manufacturing network in Australia.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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