The SA-based company, which hasn’t disclosed the exact amount, said the investment was led by a syndicate of “prominent Australian infrastructure investors”, including defence industry bank Brindabella & Company.
Following the deal, high-profile industry figure Jeremy Hallett, the SIAA Chair, has joined the company’s board.
“We are excited that this funding round will build out our infrastructure as we increase our cadence of activities at our ranges, and highlight Australia as a global space and high-tech industry development hub,” said Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp.
“Securing Jeremy to the board will help accelerate our growth and be the leading provider of test ranges and associated services.”
Southern Launch operates two spaceports in Australia. The Koonibba Test Range covers more than 41,000 square kilometres of uninhabited land and is designed to test rockets and payloads by blasting them into suborbital space before they return to Earth in the same location.
The more traditional Whalers Way Complex at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, meanwhile, specialises in orbital launches over the sea.
The investment comes weeks after a capsule built by Varda re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere and landed at Kooniba Test Range last month.
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The W-2 mission marked the first time a commercial spacecraft re-entry was granted under Australian legislation and was as a landmark moment for the local industry.
Southern Launch led the recovery operation alongside payload experts and representatives from the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation, the land’s traditional owners.
“Southern Launch secured a series permit to enable our customer Varda to bring their capsules back to Earth as soon as they are ready,” said Damp.
“Enabling high cadence missions is essential to support in-space manufacturing and Southern Launch has demonstrated our capability to support this emerging industry.”
The recovery came after Southern Launch earlier in the year blasted off a German rocket and signed a deal with a Canadian rocket manufacturer for a suborbital blast-off from its Koonibba Test Range in 2025.
Reaction Dynamics believes its RE-102 hybrid rocket engine is cheaper and more reliable than traditional fuelled boosters because its fuel is solid and non-toxic.
The suborbital launch will see the two-stage, seven-metre-tall Aurora vehicle reach an altitude of 125 kilometres above Earth, providing the team with critical data. It will also lift off using Southern Launch’s Mid-Range Launch Rail, which is stored onsite.
“We believe that the RE-102 hybrid rocket engine will be the most efficient hybrid rocket engine in the world,” Reaction Dynamics CEO Bachar Elzein said.
“Extensive hot fire tests have shown that the engine is able to maintain performance during prolonged burn periods thanks to our patented innovations.
“We are eager to put this technology to the test in the vacuum of space during our upcoming suborbital mission from the Koonibba Test Range.”
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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