Small Step, Giant Leap

We might not have hit orbit, but Australia is now officially in the space game — and that’s something worth celebrating.

This week’s ERIS rocket launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport didn’t quite go the distance, reaching an estimated altitude somewhere between 50 and 100 metres before returning to Earth. But in the world of rocketry, altitude isn’t everything, especially not on a maiden launch.

As anyone who’s followed spaceflight will tell you, a first launch is rarely flawless. Rockets are complex beasts, requiring thousands of components, perfect timing, and collaboration across aviation, maritime, defence and government. The very act of liftoff is already a triumph. Every second in the air provides priceless data — and every anomaly is an opportunity to learn, iterate, and improve. For Gilmour Space Technologies, TestFLight1 was not a failure, it was ignition.

I was fortunate enough to see a SpaceX rocket launch in person during a trip to the United States in 2022. We visited Cape Canaveral and, during a guided tour, stood in awe before the rocket on the pad during its final preparation. That night, we watched it blast off into orbit, an unforgettable experience that seemed lightyears away from our quiet patch of coastline in North Queensland.

And yet, here we are.

To watch a rocket lift off from our very own Bowen, with local terrain beneath it and an Aussie-built hybrid propulsion system inside, is surreal. We owe a huge congratulations to James and Adam Gilmour and the entire team at Gilmour Space Technologies.

Thanks also to Aussienaut on YouTube, who gave the nation a front-row seat to history with a live stream that captured the moment ERIS kissed the sky.

We’ll be watching, and cheering, as the next chapter in Australia’s space story unfolds. This is just the beginning.

Amanda

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