At 6:35 pm local time on July 29, the first Eris rocket developed and launched by the Australian Gilmour Space company suffered a launch failure. Live video showed that the rocket began to slide sideways shortly after liftoff.It fell back to the ground only 14 seconds after taking off, and then exploded violently.
It is understood that this is the first time Australia has independently designed, manufactured and launched a rocket from its own country. This launch mission is designed to verify the design and performance of the rocket and lay the foundation for future commercial launches.
Although the rocket launch mission failed, company co-founder Adam Gillemore said on social media that the company was satisfied with the launch attempt."I'm very happy that the rocket successfully left the launch pad."
Gilmour Space also expressed optimism after the launch. "Today, Eris became the first Australian-made orbital rocket to be launched from Australian soil - 14 seconds flight, 23 seconds engine burn, a major step forward in launch capabilities, the team is safe, the data is in hand, and the goal is TestFlight 2."
Adam and James Gilmour founded Gilmour Space in 2015 with the goal of making Australia a major player in the space sector.
The first rocket developed by the company is "Eris", which is a two-stage small launch vehicle designed to launch small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO).
The rocket is about 25 meters long and uses lightweight composite materials and modular design.It uses a self-developed hybrid rocket engine, using liquid oxidizer and solid fuel, equipped with core first and second stage technology.
The designed carrying capacity is about 300-400 kilograms, which can transport the carrier to a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 500 kilometers, suitable for the launch needs of small satellites and cubesats.
