THE LAUNCH window for Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris Test Flight 1 will open on the morning of Thursday, May 15, if the weather behaves itself.
Everything is ready to go at Gilmour Space Technologies site, near Bowen, known as the Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
However, the wind was ‘starting to pick up’ on Wednesday (May 14) so it was still not 100 per cent definite, although the team was hopeful, according to a Gilmour Space spokesperson.
“Safety is always the top priority. We’ll only launch when we’re ready, and when conditions are appropriate,” Gilmour Space co-founder and CEO Adam Gilmour said.
The previous launch window, slated for March 15, was scuppered by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
When it does go ahead, it will be the first Australian designed and built rocket aiming for orbit from Australian soil.
And as an extra Australian ‘twist’, a jar of Vegemite will also be on board Eris!
Eris is a three-stage rocket powered by a hybrid rocket engine.
It is about the same height as a seven-storey building and at lift-off weighs 34 tonnes – equal to about 17 average sized cars.
Every second of the mission, when it happens, helps build Australia’s sovereign space capabilities and is an opportunity to collect valuable data.
It also marks the culmination of years of innovative research and development and manufacturing by the Gold Coast based company, which developed the Eris launch vehicle and Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
Gilmour Space made history last year, when the Bowen spaceport was granted the first orbital launch facility licence in Australia, in March, and when it secured the country’s first Australian Launch Permit for Eris TestFlight 1, in November.
The company is backed by private investors including Blackbird, Main Sequence, Fine Structure Ventures, Queensland Investment Corporation, and superannuation funds such as HESTA, Hostplus and NGS Super.
Launching Australian-owned and controlled rockets from home soil means more high-tech jobs, greater security, economic growth, and technological independence, according to Mr Gilmour.
Follow the Gilmour team for updates at Gilmour Space Technologies.
Find out more about the mission here http://spklr.io/6183C50N.
