The list of countries to achieve their own successful orbital space launch is a short one, almost as small as the exclusive club of states that possess nuclear weapons. The Soviet Union was first off the rank in 1957, with the United States close behind in 1958, and a gaggle of other aerospace-adept states followed in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Italy, Iran, North Korea and South Korea have all joined the list since the dawn of the new millennium.
Absent from the list stands Australia. The proud island nation has never stood out as a player in the field of space exploration, despite offering ground station assistance to many missions from other nations over the years. However, the country has continued to inch its way to the top of the atmosphere, establishing its own space agency in 2018. Since then, development has continued apace, and the country’s first orbital launch appears to be just around the corner.
Space, Down Under
The establishment of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) took place relatively recently. The matter was seen to be long overdue from an OECD member country; by 2008, Australia was the only one left without a national space agency since previous state authorities had been disbanded in 1996. This was despite many facilities across the country contributing to international missions, providing critical radio downlink services and even welcoming JAXA’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft back to Earth.
Eventually, a groundswell grew, pressuring the government to put Australia on the right footing to seize growing opportunities in the space arena. Things came to a head in 2018, when the government established ASA to “support the growth and transformation of Australia’s space industry.”
ASA would serve a somewhat different role compared to organizations like NASA (USA) and ESA (EU). Many space agencies in other nations focus on developing launch vehicles and missions in-house, collaborating with international partners and aerospace companies in turn to do so. However, for ASA, the agency is more focused on supporting and developing the local space industry rather than doing the engineering work of getting to space itself.
Orbital Upstarts
Just because the government isn’t building its own rockets, doesn’t mean that Australia isn’t trying to get to orbit. That goal is the diehard mission of Gilmour Space Technologies. The space startup was founded in 2013, and established its rocketry program in 2015, and has been marching towards orbit ever since. As is often the way, the journey has been challenging, but the payoff of genuine space flight is growing ever closer.
Gilmour Space moved fast, launching its first hybrid rocket back in 2016. The successful suborbital launch proved to be a useful demonstration of the company’s efforts to produce a rocket that used 3D-printed fuel. This early milestone aided the company to secure investment that would support its push to grander launches at greater scale. The company’s next major launch was planned for 2019, but frustration struck—when the larger One Vision rocket suffered a failure just 7 seconds prior to liftoff. Undeterred, the company continued development of a larger rocket, taking on further investment and signing contracts to launch payloads to orbit in the ensuing years.
Gilmour Space has worked hard to develop its hybrid rocket engines in-house.
With orbital launches and commercial payload deliveries the ultimate goal, it wasn’t enough to just develop a rocket. Working with the Australian government, Gilmour Space established the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in early 2024—a launchpad suitable for the scale of its intended space missions. Located on Queensland’s Gold Coast, it’s just 20 degrees south of the equator—closer than Cape Canaveral, and useful for accessing low- to mid-inclination equatorial orbits. The hope was to gain approval to launch later that year, but thus far, no test flights have taken place. Licensing issues around the launch have meant the company has had to hold back on shooting for orbit.
The rocket with which Gilmour Space intends to get there is called Eris. In Block 1 configuration, it stands 25 meters tall, and is intended to launch payloads up to 300 kg into low-Earth orbits. It’s a three-stage design. It uses four of Gilmour’s Sirius hybrid rocket motors in the first stage, and just one in the second stage. The third stage has a smaller liquid rocket engine of Gilmour’s design, named Phoenix. The rocket was first staged vertically on the launch pad in early 2024, and a later “dress rehearsal” for launch was performed in September, with the rocket fully fueled. However, flight did not take place, as launch permits were still pending from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The Eris rocket was first vertically erected on the launchpad in 2024, but progress towards launch has been slow since then.
After a number of regulatory issues, the company’s first launch of Eris was slated for March 15, 2025. However, that day came and passed, even with CASA approval, as the required approvals were still not available from the Australian Space Agency. Delays have hurt the company’s finances, hampering its ability to raise further funds. As for the rocket itself, hopes for Eris’s performance at this stage remain limited, even if you ask those at Gilmour Space. Earlier this month, founder Adam Gilmour spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald on his expectations for the initial launch. Realistic about the proposition of hitting orbit on the company first attempt, he expects it to take several launches to achieve, with some teething problems to come. “It’s very hard to test an orbital rocket without just flying it,” he told the Herald. “We don’t have high expectations we’ll get to orbit… I’d personally be happy to get off the pad.”
Despite the trepidation, Eris stands as Australia’s closest shot at hitting the bigtime outside the atmosphere. Government approvals and technical hurdles will still need to be overcome, with the Australian Space Agency noting that the company still has licence conditions to meet before a full launch is approved. Still, before the year is out, Australia might join that vaunted list of nations that have leapt beyond the ground to circle the Earth from above. It will be a proud day when that comes to pass.
I’m surprised there’s no article about FRAM2 mussion, especially considering it has amateur radio on board.
https://darc-e39.org/allgemein/sstv-event-fram2-fram2ham/
It always annoyed me that Australia’s space agency was called the… uh… Australian Space Agency. I maintain that it should have been called the Australian Space Technology Research Organisation (ASTRO).
You mean it’s not Australian Research & Space Exploration? (I think that’s actually just a site to sell T-shirts, but it fits with their tendencies in language.)
given the number of delays they seem to be causing, this may be the best name
I am a proud owner/wearer of that tshirt.
I also have a Rogue NASA t-shirt from way back in 2017 when Trump ordered many government agencies to stop all communications with the public.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Canada is failing in the opposite direction. Canada was the third nation in space in 1962, with the Alouette 1 satellite (albeit launched by their then-friends out of Vandenberg).
Canada also designed, built and deployed the first orbiting synthetic aperture radar.
They designed the Black Brant sounding rocket (not orbital, but put many payloads into space), which still has more launches than the Falcon 9.
Canada’s Churchill Rocket Range, started in 1955, hosted thousands of launches, but the last one was in 1998. It’s a National Historic Site now.
Canada has lost the momentum, in no small part due to the effects and deliberate efforts of its southern neighbor to stifle their industry, but getting thrown the occasional bone like the Canadarm to make them think they are useful. Similar things are happening in their nuclear industry too.
Australia has the good fortune to be farther from those neighbor effects.
No. The NRO’s Quill sat was the first orbital SAR, launched and operational in 1964.
Don’t worry about, Australia is a very stupid country. Unless it involves shearing or digging, we’re not interested.
Incorrect. Australia was very involved in space flight from the beginning, it’s just that the governments of the day saw the best bang for the buck as being in international cooperation. Spending millions on rockets when most of the country didn’t have paved roads and when its traditional partners were already doing it was not a smart move. So Australia built the Woomera range complex and worked with the UK on Blue Streak, joined EDLO and worked on the Europa launcher, built launch and deep space tracking systems for numerous partners, worked with the UK on Black Knight, built WRESAT and launched it on a US rocket and so on. The Woomera complex has over 500 launches, hosed researchers from a dozen countries and was second only to Cape Canaveral in frequency of launches for a while. Sorry if that contribution isn’t sexy enough for you, but it was still crucial to developing the technologies everyone uses today. Have a little self respect.
Mostly British stuff and the rest is essentially eff all. I’m Australia, so you can eff off with your “have some self respect” as well.
This is a country that gave solar to the Chinese because that sort of thing is only for hippies and queers. So yeah, stupid country.
Once worked with a ex-woomera bloke, he had interesting stories.
You can drive right into the Woomera base housing area, kept in good nick in case of future need, and check out the bowling alley and the museum. The museum has a good selection of aircraft and missiles, including munched Redstone rockets recovered downrange.
Don’t forget Gerald Bull and HARP.
Nice article, only a slight correction, the Bowen launch facility isn’t on the Gold Coast.
Am I the only one worrying about a Taussenigan invasion, now?
(Schlock Mercenary, if that doesn’t ring a bell for you. https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2001-05-02)
Do not forget that the Prospero satellite was launched from Woomera in Australia, albeit from the UK space programme — that had already been cancelled!
And 28 space launches from NZ. Man that must hurt :-)
Doesn’t count until there’s a sheep in orbit.
Aussies.
Zero G sex?
I dont want to rub salt in the Aussi pride, but I’m pretty sure its 55 launches to space from NZ
No one cares about launches FROM New Zealand, Woomera had heaps of launches. It’s launches BY New Zealand that sting.
Kinda negates your previous statement about how great the Oz space industry is, doesn’t it?
Actually, I’m really excited about the Australian pride events! They’re such a vibrant celebration of love, diversity, and acceptance, and they play a crucial role in promoting visibility and equality for the community. It’s a time when everyone comes together to celebrate their identities and advocate for equal rights. These events serve as important reminders of the ongoing struggles faced by the Australian citizens, and they provide a platform for activism and awareness. It’s a chance to reflect on the progress made and the work that still needs to be done. I love how these celebrations bring people together, regardless of their background, to support one another.
What were the first three rules Bruce?
The Australian Space Agency is a useless and parasitic entity that has achieved nothing while wasting AUD $2 billion so far.
It’s this kind of cheap thinking that basically croaked the original fibre to the home plan of the National Broadband Network initiative, leaving most Aussies on copper for broadband..
Australia’s head rocket scientist designed a boomerang-shaped rockets, just to be sure of getting them back.
WRESAT, 1967.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRESAT
Australian Space Agency looks like its run from a H.R. department. I wish they would let the scientists and engineers get on with it without the B.S. Australia needs this!
s/n Space Agency//g