Gilmour Space has secured the launch permit for Eris Test Flight 1 that the company says is the first orbital launch attempt of an Australian-made orbital launch vehicle from a licensed commercial launch site in Australia. The launch is set for no earlier than late January 2025, according to the company.
Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic MP and the Australian Space Agency has granted the country’s first orbital launch permit to Gilmour Space Technologies for its maiden Eris rocket launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland.
An Australian launch permit is required under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018 to launch an object from Australia to an altitude of over 100 kilometres. It comes with a number of conditions that must be met before launch, and a mandatory30-day notification period.
Gilmour Space CEO and co-founder, Adam Gilmour, welcomed the news as a major milestone for the local space industry. “With this green light, we will soon attempt the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil. Our team is assessing the conditions of the permit and will advise on the anticipated launch date for Eris TestFlight1 in the coming weeks.”
In March, Gilmour’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport was granted Australia’s first orbital launch facility licence by Minister Husic and was officially opened in April by then-Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick. In September, the company announced it had successfully completed a major wet dress rehearsal of its Eris launch vehicle, progressing the countdown to T-10 seconds. The upcoming Test Flight 1 will be the first of several planned test launches to reach orbit with Eris, which leverages new propulsion technologies developed by the GoldCoast-based company.
Since launching 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 substantial private investment, gained support from local, state, and federal governments, and actively engaged communities across the region. Its Bowen spaceport, one of only a few private orbital launch sites globally, will initially provide access to low- and mid-inclination orbits.
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