Gilmour Space pushes back test launch due to poor weather
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The news: Gilmour Space Technologies has been forced to delay its first test flight again due to unfavourable wind conditions, but it could be rescheduled to as early as next week if the weather clears up and regulators give the go-ahead.
The context: The latest launch window from the company's Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland was flagged for this week.
"Our new target, potentially next week, will depend on weather conditions and green light from regulators. TBA," the company said in an update.
The launch of Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris Orbital Rocket would be the first Australian-made rocket launch to attempt to reach orbit and the first orbital rocket launch in Australia in 50 years.
Plans to launch in May were scuppered by an electrical fault that inadvertently deployed the rocket’s carbon-fibre nose cone, which is designed to protect the rocket’s payload during ascent. This needed to be replaced.
After waiting more than two years, the company received its launch permit for Eris TestFlight1 from the Australian Space Agency in November 2024. Gilmour initially hoped to launch in March 2025 but was thwarted by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The source: Gilmour Space Technologies website
