The business could have opted for a lift-off date this month but has shifted the plan back to 2025 to complete “final testing and verification activities” and hand its team a break over Christmas.
In a new LinkedIn post, Gilmour also advised the public against attempting to watch the inaugural launch in person, given the “high likelihood of delays or scrubs”.
“We will not be providing a live stream as our priority is ensuring mission safety and success,” it said. “A video of the launch will be shared soon after.”
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Gilmour Space Technologies 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.
It was granted the launch licence, an Australian first, by Science Minister Ed Husic in November under the Space (Launches and Returns) Act 2018. A number of conditions need to be met, though, before a potential blast-off, including a mandatory 30-day notification period.
“With this green light, we will soon attempt the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil,” said the firm’s founder, Adam Gilmour.
Gilmour’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland was separately granted its own licence to operate in March, and the company completed a wet dress rehearsal in September, all the way to T-10 seconds.
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“Since starting its rocket program in 2015, Gilmour Space has expanded to over 200 employees, built a local supply chain of more than 300 Australian companies, attracted significant private investment, gained support from local, state and federal governments, and actively engaged communities across the region,” Gilmour said in a statement.
The business had hoped to blast off for the first time in April 2024, and prior to the licence’s eventual granting, Adam Gilmour repeatedly blamed the Australian Space Agency for the delay.
At one point, he argued that the pushback was “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.
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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