Australia, traditionally a provider of ground station assistance to other nations’ space missions, founded its own Space Agency in 2018 with the aim of developing its domestic space industry.
Its first orbital launch is planned for 2024 from a spaceport on the Gold Coast by private startup Gilmour Space, which is developing the hybrid rocket Eris.
Licensing and regulatory issues have delayed the launch, however, and Gilmour Space’s CEO has told the media he doesn’t expect the rocket to achieve orbit on its first attempt, but merely to “get off the pad”.
If it succeeds, Australia will become the seventh nation to launch a spacecraft into orbit.
