19 hours ago
Last Updated:July 31, 2025, 09:16 IST
Australia’s first locally made orbital rocket, Eris, launched by Gilmour Space Technologies, crashed 14 seconds after liftoff during a test flight in Queensland.
An Eris rocket is launched on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, near Bowen, Australia (Photo: Gilmour Space Technologies)
The first Australian-made rocket crashed after 14 seconds of flight on Wednesday as it attempted to reach orbit from the country’s soil.
The rocket Eris, launched by Gilmour Space Technologies, was the first Australian-designed and manufactured orbital launch vehicle to lift off from the country and was designed to carry small satellites to orbit.
It launched Wednesday morning local time in a test flight from a spaceport near the small town of Bowen in the north of Queensland state.
In a video of the launch, the 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.
Meanwhile, the company hailed the launch as a success in a statement posted to Facebook.
According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson said all four hybrid-propelled engines ignited and the maiden flight included 23 seconds of engine burn time and 14 seconds of flight.
Gilmour Space Technologies 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.
CEO Adam Gilmour said in a statement he was pleased the rocket got off the launchpad.
“Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this," he wrote on LinkedIn.
In February, Gilmour had said that it was “almost unheard of" for a private rocket company to successfully launch to orbit on its first attempt.
The firm had earlier said it would consider the launch a success if the rocket left the ground. The launch site infrastructure “remained intact," the statement read.
Gilmour Space Technologies has private funders and was awarded a 5 million Australian dollar ($3.2 million) grant this month from the country’s federal government for the development of the Eris rocket.
It followed the firm’s 52 million Australian dollar grant agreement with the government in 2023 to advance the development and commercialisation of new space technologies in Australia.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
News world First Australian-Made Rocket Crashes 14 Seconds After Launch Of Flight | Video
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