The vehicle was due to blast off on Friday morning, but the fault caused the payload fairing, essentially the rocket’s nose cone, to open unexpectedly.
The company said that initial assessments suggested no damage to the launch vehicle or ground systems, and added that a replacement part is already available to be swapped in.
Gilmour announced last week that it would open its launch window on 15 May, following multiple delays caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which shut down large parts of Queensland.
“Our team encountered the issue before fuelling and liftoff, which is exactly what ground testing is meant to do,” said CEO Adam Gilmour on Friday morning.
“The good news is our team and rocket are both fine. While we’re disappointed by the delay, we’re already working through a resolution and expect to be back on the pad soon.”
Gilmour added in a statement that the rocket has since been safely returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building, and his team has begun analysing the data to understand the cause of the fault.
A replacement payload fairing from the firm’s Gold Coast manufacturing facility will be transported to the Bowen launch site in the coming days.
PROMOTED CONTENT
The delay was the second encountered during the launch window, after issues with the power system and a connection to the launch tower scrubbed the planned Thursday blast off.
“As always, safety is our highest priority,” said Gilmour. “We’ll take the time needed to identify and resolve the issue before resuming launch operations.
“This is all part of the journey,” added Gilmour. “Everyone is safe, and I want to thank the community in Bowen for your ongoing support — your welcome and warmth mean a lot to our team.”
Eris is a three-stage orbital vehicle and the first to be almost entirely Australian-designed and manufactured. The launch would mark one of the most significant moments in the local sector’s history, and the first attempt at an orbital blast-off in 50 years from Australian soil.
Gilmour has repeatedly said that the initial blast-off of Eris is likely to end in failure and on Sunday admitted a flight time of 20 or 30 seconds would be “fantastic”.
A flight time of 30 seconds would see it crash down within its Bowen launch site, while one minute or longer would see it fall into the ocean, which has been designated as part of an exclusion zone.
Gilmour has been developing Eris for over eight years and believes it could address a gap in the global market for small satellite launches.
It had planned for an inaugural blast-off in April 2024 but faced a lengthy delay in obtaining its final permit from the Australian Space Agency.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
Receive the latest developments and updates on Australia’s space industry direct to your inbox. Subscribe today to Space Connect here.
