The Gilmour Space Technologies window opens at 7.30am on Thursday morning, paving the way for the historic launch of its TestFlight1 mission – the maiden flight of its Eris rocket.
The test flight will be the first launch of an orbital rocket from Australian soil in 50 years, and the first ever orbital launch of a rocket entirely designed and manufactured in Australia. The company was granted its final launch permit from Australian Space Agency last Friday.
Gilmour Space said on Wednesday its preference was to get the mission underway as soon after the launch window opens as is practical.
Current expectations are that the lift-off with be around midday or early afternoon on Thursday if the technical aspects of the countdown go to plan.
If the company is unable to launch Thursday afternoon, a forecast increase in wind speeds could then delay the attempted lift-off until at least Sunday.
Gilmour says mission scrubs are normal. The first launch window is open between 7.30am and 5.30pm on Thursday. If the mission needs to be scrubbed it will be announced publicly before 5.30pm, and the company will then set its next available launch window via social channels as soon as practical.
The test flight will launch from the Gilmour-owned and operated Bowen Orbital Spaceport, located at Abbot Point, just north of the Queensland coastal town of Bowen.
The Eris TestFlight1 mission is the first launch from the new spaceport.
For the maiden flight, the company has already said it will not provide a livestream, nor a public countdown, “as our team will be fully focused on launch and range safety operations.”
“However, we will share footage as soon as possible after launch,” the company said.
The Eris launch vehicle is a three-stage rocket entirely designed in Australia by Gilmour Space and manufactured by the company at its Gold Coast headquarters.
The vehicle used for testflight1 mission will carry a Made in Australia logo as part of its livery, and carry a large jar of vegemite as its test payload, but ultimately will be capable of carry more than 300 kilograms to Low Earth Orbit.
The Eris first stage booster is powered by four Sirius hybrid rocket motors, which burn a combination of solid and liquid propellants.
The Eris second stage is powered by a single Sirius motor, while its final stage three carries a smaller and more traditional liquid-fueled rocket motor.
The testflight1 mission is not a commercial flight. And while the company has high hopes for the rocket, Gilmour Space has been careful not to set public expectations too high.
Gilmour Space Technologies co-founder and chief executive Adam Gilmour has said for years that no new to the world orbital vehicle has successfully reached orbit on the first attempt.
For context, the original SpaceX Falcon 1 was successful only on its fourth attempt.
Mr Gilmour says every second of flight delivers valuable data for subsequent attempts. The company wants the rocket to get off the pad and clear the tower – both for the full power engine time it would provide and to ensure the spaceport infrastructure is not damaged.
After that he says he is hoping the vehicle gets through what is known as Max Q, the moment of maximum dynamic stress on the rocket after 60 or 70 seconds.
And then, if it reaches first-stage separation, that’s brilliant. Anything after that would be a stunning success.
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