On July 30, Gilmour Space Technologies attempted the first launch of an Australian-built rocket into orbit. The Eris Flight Test 1 achieved 14 seconds of flight and 23 seconds of engine burn. Despite the short-lived flight time, the launch has been deemed a success by Gilmour due to the valuable data gained.
The launch attempt is another stepping stone for Australia’s space sector, symbolizing the drive to find its footing in the rapidly scaling international space sector.
Rocket launches always carry much fanfare and interest. But behind the headlines, momentum is growing in the regulatory and policy landscape as well as broader industry.
It is almost seven years to the date since the Australia Space Agency (ASA) was stood up. Since then, what was once very much a nascent sector has seen various champions emerge, with the ASA providing some new footing for the sector’s growth. While the space sector is often heralded as new and emerging, it’s also important to note that many of these companies predate the ASA, some by decades.
Today these firm are finding opportunities across commercial, civil, and military sectors, domestically and abroad. Ground segment satellite communications companies Av-Comm Space & Defense and Blacktree Technology are two such examples, embodying multisectorial flexibility in their operations.
Continued success from Australian launch and range services provider Southern Launch provides for another example. Southern Launch’s ongoing work with Varda Space Industries has seen two spacecraft return from orbit into their range facilities in South Australia. Their Koonibba Test Range is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and has attracted interest from many companies around the world.
The Varda Space Industries returns marked a first – not just for Australia, but globally – as the first commercial return to a commercial spaceport. The regulatory hurdles were cleared and authorization granted by the Australian Government under the amended Space (Launch and Returns) Act 2018.
With Gilmour Space Technologies also achieving the first authorization for a commercial orbital launch under the Act, momentum bodes positively for the sector as it works together with the government in steering through these previously un-navigated processes, which promise to be quicker with time.
Enhanced bilateral cooperation, particularly with the United States, has also emerged as a hallmark of Australia’s approach to space. The partnership was headlined by the signing of the Australia-U.S. Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) in October 2023. The agreement took effect in July 2024. The TSA provides the legal and regulatory foundations for U.S. companies to conduct spaceflight activities from Australia. This minimizes some of the export control restrictions that have been a barrier for business-to-business cooperation.
Australia’s ideal launch geography has been touted as a viable option for alleviating launch capacity issues at U.S. spaceports, a problem that has emerged over recent years. Southern Launch heralded the TSA as a “game changer” that will “accelerate the development of the Australian space industry.”
On the immediate horizon, at the end of September this year, Australia will host the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney. The IAC brings together the world’s space community for a week; its 76th iteration in Sydney is projected to attract 10,000 attendees from around 100 nations. For Australia it holds particular significance – at the Adelaide-hosted 68th IAC in 2017 the Australian government announced the establishment of the Australian Space Agency.
Rarely has a nation hosted two IACs so close together. But with a key focus on representing and championing the Indo-Pacific, the 76th IAC has seen strong early registrations and the second highest number of space research abstracts ever selected.
It’s a truism that the nations that embrace space today will be on the forefront of innovation tomorrow. Australia recognizes that many nations are actively working to bolster their own sovereign sectors by investing in space capabilities and establishing the foundations of a safe and reliable regulatory landscape. Looking forward, momentum is growing for Australia’s space sector.