On 15 September Southern Launch, DEWC Systems, T-Minus Engineering and the Koonibba Community plan to Australia’s first space capable rocket will be launched to the edge of space. The launch will be undertaken at Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range (KTR) 40km northwest of Ceduna in South Australia, from a range head leased from the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation (KCAC). Launched northwards, the rocket will carry a small payload into the thermosphere where it will be released from the rocket to fall back to earth under a parachute where DEWC Systems, escorted by a local Aboriginal Cultural Monitor, will recover and examine it.
“This event is more than just Australia’s first launch, but a testament to Australian companies coming together with our international partners to push the boundaries of the conceivable and inspire future generations to be space farers” said Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch.
The rocket itself will be unlike any rocket ever launched in Australia. Designed and built in the Netherlands by T-Minus Engineering, the DART rocket will weigh only 34kg, have one rocket engine, yet will have two rocket stages. The rocket will burn out of fuel six seconds after lift-off and be travelling at Mach 5, or approximately 1.5 kilometres per second. The front “Dart” section, emblazoned with artwork developed by the Koonibba Community, will detach from the rocket and continue into the thermosphere while the larger rocket motor will fall back to earth.
The miniature payload, built by DEWC Systems, will be a prototype electronic warfare unit capable of detecting radar signals. Future versions of the payload will go into orbiting satellites and keep our soldiers safer from enemy forces abroad.
“This mission is an important step to developing true sovereign, space capability for defence and is an excellent way to showcase the power of collaboration between innovative Australian industry partners. Now is the time for industry to be bold and to lead. The challenging question for Australia now, isn’t can industry deliver, it is can government and regulators keep up?” said Ian Spencer, CEO of DEWC Systems.
This rocket represents the epitome of NewSpace, the name given to the new revolution in how companies get to space, and what the satellites do when they get to space such as monitoring the seas for piracy, observing the growth of crops across the world, or connecting the rural farmer to a distant water tank through the power of Internet of Things (IoT). The unique location of Koonibba has meant it is perfect for test flying NewSpace rocket and satellite technologies. The uninhabited National Parks to the north of the town represent a location from which companies can recover their rockets and satellite payloads and learn how to design and develop next generation technologies. Operations at the Koonibba Test Range will provide ongoing employment for the local communities in Koonibba, Ceduna and greater Eyre Peninsula, and usher a new economy into the area.
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