Gilmour Space Technologies has taken another big step toward its first orbital launch with chief executive officer Adam Gilmour expected on Wednesday to announce that the company had been given final approvals for its maiden test flight.
The company is understood to have been given a green light from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to launch the first test flight of its three-stage Eris rocket from its Bowen Orbital Spaceport facility at Abbot Point in Queensland.
The approval means that Gilmour can give the Australian Space Agency and CASA formal notification of its intention to fly, which would open a launch window some time in the back half of March for a launch.
Mr Gilmour will present at the Australian Defence Magazine Space Summit in Canberra on Wednesday morning, where he is expected to make public its approval and next steps for launch.
The Gilmour Space Technologies Eris Testflight 1 mission will mark the first time an Australian designed and built orbital rocket has been launched from Australian soil.
It will be the first orbital rocket launched from Australia since Britain used the Woomera Rocket Range in South Australia to launch a Black Arrow vehicle more than 50 years ago.
The approvals from the CASA are the last significant regulatory sign-off that Gilmour needed in order to conduct its first test flight, and once all of its formal notification documents have been submitted to CASA and the Space Agency, the mandatory wait period begins.
The company confirmed on Tuesday that it had attached the engine nozzles to each of the four rocket motors on stage one of the Eris vehicle, the final parts to be added to Eris 1.
The stage one of Eris is powered by four Sirius rocket motors designed and manufactured by Gilmour at its Gold Coast facility, while the stage two booster is powered by a single Sirius engine.
Stage three of the craft is powered by a smaller rocket motor, also designed and manufactured by Gilmour Space.
The road to launch for Gilmour has been a long one. The company’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport was granted a launch facility licence in March last year, and the Eris rocket was fully integrated and put into a vertical position for the first time in April.
The Australian Space Agency granted its first ever launch permit for a orbital flight in early November last year, with Industry minister Ed Husic signing off on the permit soon after.
With approvals from CASA and Airservices Australia, the company is on Wednesday expected to announce its launch window and may include details of its preferred launch date.
Mr Gilmour will use his address to the ADM Space Summit to outline the challenges and obstacles the company has faced along the way, as well outlining what the future holds for both Gilmour Space Technologies and for the Australian space sector.
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