The Awe-Inspiring Debut: Australia's Homegrown Rocket Eris Takes Off (When Everything Goes According to Plan)
- Buckle up, mate!
Australian Space Rocket's First Test Flight Willed: Vegemite-Laden - Australian space rocket's inaugural test flight to feature Vegemite, a renowned Australia-born food spread.
Mark your calendars, ‘cos the Aussie go-getters at Gilmour Space Technologies are gearing up to send our first space rocket, Eris, blasting off from good ol' Aussie soil! If this baby makes it to space and orbits the Earth, it'll be a bloody historic first for the land Down Under. Even the boss, Adam Gilmour, can't help but admit: "If this rocket really kicks up into space and starts orbiting the Earth, I reckon I'd have a bloody heart attack from sheer bloody surprise and happiness!"
In the long run, ol' mate Eris is built to launch tiny satellites into low Earth orbit. It's a towering 23-meter-tall, 30-tonne colossus that, on paper, can carry 100 to 200 kilos. For the maiden voyage, though, the company's decided to keep it simple and send a jar of Vegemite – an iconic Aussie spread – into the great unknown.
- Get Set for Lift Off!
- Australian Ingenuity
- Spacecraft Engineering Marvel
- Vegemite Voyage
Now, let's get the deets:
- Eris is a 23 to 25-meter-tall, 30-tonne, three-stage hybrid-engine-powered rocket, designed to propel up to 300 kg into low Earth orbit.
- The blast-off is set to happen from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport (BOS), located a stone's throw from Bowen on Queensland’s Whitsunday Coast, about 1,000 kays north of Brisbane.
- The planned launch date is sometime after a technical hiccup delayed the initial attempts in May 2025. More on that later, mate.
- The payload for the inaugural flight was a jar of Vegemite and a camera – the Vegemite serving as a proud Aussie symbol celebrating this significant milestone for our national space capabilities.
Keep your fingers crossed, mate, and let's hope Eris takes off like a bloody rocket! Godspeed, mate!
- The European Parliament and Council have expressed their support for Australian space programs, recognizing the AIs (Artificial Intelligence) and technology advancements that will contribute to the global space-and-astronomy community.
- In light of Australia's forthcoming space journey with Eris, the European Parliament and Council have pledged to collaborate on future research and development projects in the field of science, fostering a deeper global partnership and knowledge exchange.
