Launch of Australia’s First Obital Rocket Delayed Indefinitely After Malfunction

Insider Brief

• Australia’s first attempt to launch an orbital rocket was delayed after an electrical fault triggered the rocket’s payload fairing to detach during final pre-launch checks.
• The incident involved Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris launch vehicle at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport and postponed the mission, TestFlight1, which aimed to demonstrate a hybrid-propellant rocket system capable of reaching orbit.
• The rocket and infrastructure were not damaged, and no injuries occurred; the company plans to replace the fairing and resume launch preparations once a full technical review is completed.

The launch of Australia’s first orbital rocket was scrubbed after the rocket’s nose cone came off.

The planned May 16 planned test flight by Gilmour Space Technologies has been delayed indefinitely after a “pre-launch anomaly” triggered the rocket’s payload fairing deployment mechanism during final preparations, according to the company.

“Our team encountered the issue before fueling and liftoff, which is exactly what ground testing is meant to do,” Adam Gilmour, CEO of Gilmour Space, said in a statement. “The good news is our team and rocket are both fine. While we’re disappointed by the delay, we’re already working through a resolution and expect to be back on the pad soon.”

According to the company, it was an electrical fault that activated the nose cone’s release system. The payload fairing, typically deployed only after a rocket reaches space to expose its payload, is designed to shield satellites during ascent. The incident did not cause injuries or apparent damage to the rocket or ground infrastructure.

The mission, TestFlight1, was to be the maiden flight of Eris, Australia’s first domestically built orbital launch vehicle. The hybrid-propellant rocket was poised to become the first of its kind to reach orbit, marking a significant milestone in establishing Australia as one of a dozen nations with sovereign launch capability.

The test flight, scheduled from Gilmour’s Bowen launch site in Queensland, is now on hold “for at least a few weeks” while engineers investigate the cause, according to the company. The rocket has been returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building, and a replacement fairing will be transported to the spaceport from the company’s manufacturing facility on the Gold Coast.

Future updates are expected once the technical review is complete and the launch vehicle is cleared for another attempt, the company noted.

“This is all part of the journey,” added Gilmour. “Everyone is safe, and I want to thank the community in Bowen for your ongoing support — your welcome and warmth mean a lot to our team.”