Tess Bennett Technology reporter Jul 30, 2025 https://www.afr.com/technology/aust...ce-lasts-less-than-30-seconds-20250514-p5lz14 The first Australian-made rocket has crashed and exploded shortly after it was launched by Gilmour Space from a purpose-built pad in Queensland. The rocket was the start-up’s first test flight, but it had insufficient thrust to reach orbit. It briefly hovered sideways before falling to the ground and exploding after its launch from the pad near Bowen at 8.35am on Wednesday. The Gilmour Space rockjet was launched near Bowen, Queensland. Its failure was captured by Aussienaut. Aussienaut The craft was in the air for less than 30 seconds, according to video footage. “Off the pad, I am happy. Of course, I would have liked more flight time, but happy with this,” Gilmour Space chief executive Adam Gilmour posted to LinkedIn minutes after the failed mission. The long-awaited launch was the first orbital launch attempt from Australian soil in 50 years, and represented a step towards the nation’s most promising opportunity to own a slice of the commercial space industry. While there was no official livestream of the launch, the test flight was captured by Aussienaut, a YouTube channel run by Josh Keegan that focuses on the Australian Space Industry. Keegan’s camera was stationed at Mount Nutt, 12 kilometres away from the launchpad. Around 3200 space enthusiasts from around the world tuned in to watch the historic launch attempt. Gilmour, a former investment banker, and his team have spent years designing, testing and battling with regulators to gain a launch permit. The company, which designs and manufactures rockets to carry satellites into space, is backed by venture capital firms including Blackbird Ventures, and two industry retirement fund giants, HESTA and Hostplus. The three-stage rocket, which is designed to carry small satellites to orbit for business and government customers, only had a jar of Vegemite in its payload fairing on Wednesday’s brief flight. The company was close to launch on Tuesday, but had to postpone the test flight due to high-altitude winds. The Eris One rocket launch was originally scheduled for May, but was delayed when an unexpected power surge triggered the nose cone to open during pre-flight checks. Another launch attempt was abandoned this month due to poor weather conditions.