Francois Lambert, who is now the general manager overseeing regulatory and corporate affairs, will also oversee the “overall compliance of operations” at its spaceport in the Northern Territory.
The appointment comes at the same time as rival launch firm Gilmour Space Technologies continues to wait for the go-ahead from the Australian Space Agency to conduct its first blast-off, which was due to take place in April.
“The opportunity to contribute to a groundbreaking company in the space industry, especially within Australia, was a compelling factor for me,” Lambert said.
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“The challenge of navigating complex regulatory landscapes and ensuring compliance for cutting-edge space operations aligns perfectly with my expertise and aspirations.”
Lambert is the founder of space consultancy firm Orbital Reach, and previously worked on global space initiatives such as Galileo and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
This news follows ELA revealing it has signed up a second launch company as a long-term tenant.
Sirius Space Services will launch its first rocket in 2026, followed by further launches the following year as part of a “multi-year, multi-launch” agreement.
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ELA also added it was in the “final stages of negotiations” with three more rocket firms to become long-term tenants, with announcements expected shortly.
The company plans to accommodate up to seven resident launchers initially, but the site has the potential to grow further. It will also rent out launch pads and services for one-off, ad hoc blast-offs.
Gilmour Space Technologies founder Adam Gilmour, meanwhile, has previously lamented the process of obtaining a launch permit, arguing the Australian Space Agency regulators were asking questions “you wouldn’t believe”.
He added the delays were “more them than us” and even suggested that officials were concerned that its Eris launch vehicle could hit a passing ship.
“Like, what if a cruise ship comes out of Hawaii and goes in the path of the rocket as it’s going up [from the North Queensland coast]? And how are we not going to hit the International Space Station?” he said of their apparent questions.
Talking at the AFR’s Entrepreneur Summit, Gilmour added that his engineers were spending too much time answering questions from regulators rather than designing the next rocket.
“Regulation definitely kills innovation. The government is extremely risk-averse, even in the power market. People are talking about clean energy, but it takes two years to get a wind turbine approved or 18 months to get a solar farm approved.
“It’s taken us almost two years to get our first rocket launch approved. That is crazy.”
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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