Australia

Australian-Made Rocket Crashes After 14-Second Flight

JUL 31 2025·Updated AUG 1 2025

Story

Above: Space operations at the Woomera Range Complex in South Australia on Dec. 4, 2020. Image credit: MORGAN SETTE/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

The Eris rocket, built by Gilmour Space Technologies, became the first Australian-designed and built orbital launch vehicle to lift off from the country’s soil on Wednesday from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland.
guardian
News.com.au
The 23-meter rocket, which weighed 30 tons and reportedly carried a jar of Vegemite, an Australian staple product, on its nose cone, flew for approximately 14 seconds before crash-landing.
Gilmour Space
Aero Time
The Telegraph
Gilmour Space Technologies said that all four of Eris's hybrid engines successfully ignited and achieved 23 seconds of burn time, with the company reporting no injuries and seemingly no damage to the launch site, as well as that it had collected "extensive" flight data in the process.
Gilmour Space
The rocket’s development received support from the Australian government, which awarded Gilmour Space Technologies an AU$5 million ($3.2 million) grant earlier this month, following a previous AU$52 million agreement in 2023.
Australian Space Agency
ap
The launch marked the first orbital rocket attempt from Australia in over 50 years, as the country has only previously hosted two successful orbital launches, according to aerospace platform NASASpaceFlight.
The Telegraph
ap
NASA Science
In a press release, Gilmour Space Technologies announced plans for a second test flight within six to eight months. The company intends to eventually launch at least four rockets annually, before rising to twelve, and begin commercial operations by late 2026.
Gilmour Space
ABC Australia
The Telegraph

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-government narrative

This launch is a major breakthrough for Australia's space ambitions, despite the brief flight time. Getting off the launch pad proves the rocket’s core systems work and puts Australia on track to join only six nations capable of regular orbital launches. The 14 seconds of flight data will also directly improve the next vehicle already in production.

Gilmour Space

Government-critical narrative

Eris' failed takeoff shows why Australia cannot compete in space technology with the key players. With just a small number of engineering graduates each year compared to countries like China and India, Australia lacks the required talent pool to independently run major engineering programs, which is why Eris only achieved 14 seconds of flight time.