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In its first attempt, an Australian-made orbital rocket –the first to launch from the country– crashed after 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight on Wednesday morning, local time. It was the first orbital launch attempt from Australia in more than 50 years.
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The maiden rocket Eris made its first attempt to reach orbit from Australian soil, in a test flight from a spaceport near the small town of Bowen.
TestFlight1 — Liftoff 🚀
Today, Eris became the first #AustralianMade orbital rocket to launch from Australian soil — ~14s of flight, 23s engine burn.
Big step for 🇦🇺 launch capability. Team safe, data in hand, eyes on TestFlight 2.
(More pics and vids to come from the media.) pic.twitter.com/l9yPSUAIbR
— Gilmour Space (@GilmourSpace) July 30, 2025
Launched by Gilmour Space Technologies, it was the first Australian-designed and manufactured launch vehicle made to carry small satellites to orbit.
In videos published by Australian news outlets, the 23-metre (75-foot) rocket appeared to clear the launch tower and hovered in the air before falling out of sight.
Plumes of smoke were seen rising above the site. No injuries were reported.
In a statement following the launch, the Australian company hailed the launch as a success.
All four hybrid-propelled engines ignited, and the maiden flight included 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight, a spokesperson said. The launch site infrastructure “remained intact,” the statement added.
“Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this,” CEO Adam Gilmour wrote on LinkedIn.
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Gilmour Space Technologies had earlier said it would consider the launch a success if the rocket left the ground.
The firm had planned previous launches of the rocket, in May and earlier this month, but called off those operations because of technical issues and bad weather. In February, it said that it was “almost unheard of” for a private rocket company to successfully launch to orbit on its first attempt.
Mayor Ry Collins of the local Whitsunday Regional Council said the completed launch was a “huge achievement” even though the vehicle didn’t reach orbit. “This is an important first step towards the giant leap of a future commercial space industry right here in our region,” he wrote on Facebook.
More about Gilmour Space Technologies
It has private funders and was awarded a 5 million Australian dollar ($3.2 million) grant this month from the Australia’s federal government for the development of the Eris rocket.
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It followed the firm’s AU$52 million grant agreement with the government in 2023 to advance the development and commercialisation of new space technologies in Australia.
There have only been two successful launches to orbit from Australia before, according to the aerospace news platform NASASpaceFlight. However, the country has been the site of hundreds of suborbital vehicle launches.
With AP inputs
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