Gilmour Space Technologies has postponed the launch of Australia’s first locally-built orbital rocket, after a “pre-launch anomaly” unexpectedly opened its nose cone.
The company hoped to launch the Eris vehicle from its northern Queensland launchpad on Friday morning, after securing Australia’s first orbital launch permit.
But an electrical fault opened its payload fairing, the part of the rocket shielding its test cargo: a jar of Vegemite.
“This happened before any fuel was loaded into the vehicle,” Gilmour Space Technologies told observers early Friday morning.
“Most importantly, no one was injured, and early checks show no damage to the rocket or the launch pad.”
In a statement, CEO Adam Gilmour described the discovery before fuelling or launch as a silver lining.
“While we’re disappointed by the delay, we’re already working through a resolution and expect to be back on the pad soon,” he said.
The startup awaits the arrival of a replacement nose cone from the Gold Coast, and will postpone the launch attempt while it analyses what went wrong.
The company expects to delay the launch by several weeks and will share a new launch window once it is confirmed.
Earlier plans for a Thursday launch were waylaid by what Gilmour Space Technologies identified as “an issue in the ground support system during overnight checks”.
Founded in 2013 by brothers Adam and James Gilmour, Gilmour Space Technologies designs and builds rockets intended to lower the cost of reaching orbit.
Australia has a rich history of rocket launches, but to date, no space vehicles launched domestically have been built onshore.
The company’s Eris rocket is designed to carry payloads of up to 305 kilograms into low-earth orbit.
The company hopes Eris will allow customers to deliver payloads into space without facing the extreme costs of existing launch systems.
Gilmour Space Technologies raised $55 million in a Series D round in February last year, adding to a $61 million Series C in 2021.
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Senior Business Journalist
Focused on the small business sector, David’s work covers the political, regulatory, and economic issues facing Australian entrepreneurs. Prior to joining SmartCompany, he was a reporter for Business Insider Australia. You can follow him on LinkedIn.
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