Australia's First Orbital Rocket Launch by Gilmour Space Ends in Failure

Gilmour Space's Eris rocket launched for the first time on July 29, 2025, marking Australia's first homegrown orbital launch attempt. The rocket took off from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in coastal Queensland but crashed back to Earth just 14 seconds after liftoff. This outcome was not unexpected, as it is rare for a rocket to succeed on its first launch. Gilmour Space emphasized that the data collected from the flight will be valuable for future launches.

Despite the setback, Gilmour Space remains optimistic about the progress made. The company sees this as a significant step forward in improving their rocket's reliability and performance. No injuries or adverse environmental impacts were reported as a result of the launch anomaly.

Gilmour Space, founded in 2015, aims to establish Australia as a key player in spaceflight. The company's Eris rocket is designed to carry payloads to sun-synchronous orbit. In addition to rocket development, Gilmour Space also builds satellites, with recent success in launching the ElaraSat spacecraft carrying a hyperspectral imager for CSIRO.

Today's launch was the first orbital attempt from Australian soil in over 50 years, marking a milestone in Australia's space exploration history.

According to the source: Space.