Gilmour Space's Eris bet: Australia's first orbital rocket flies 14s, crashes

Gilmour Space was founded on the Gold Coast in 2015 by brothers Adam and James Gilmour with a bet most investors avoided: a small Australian company could build orbital rockets at home, using hybrid motors it developed itself, and launch them from its own spaceport.

By February 2024 the company employed more than 200 people, had raised a fresh $55 million round from Australian venture funds and superannuation investors, and was waiting on Australian Space Agency approvals to fly Eris from Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland, a site chosen north of the Tropic of Capricorn for efficient equatorial orbits.

The launch slipped for more than a year. On July 30, 2025, Eris TestFlight 1 finally lifted off — the first Australian-designed and built orbital-class rocket ever launched from Australian soil. Roughly 14 seconds in, with about 23 seconds of engine burn recorded, the vehicle lost thrust, veered sideways and crashed near the pad. The company stressed that the team was safe, flight software performed as expected and the pad infrastructure was intact.

Gilmour called the attempt a huge step forward, noting that SpaceX and Rocket Lab also needed multiple test flights before reaching orbit. The next vehicle was already in production and TestFlight 2 became the company's target, with Australia's orbital ambitions still riding on a private rocket that had flown for 14 seconds.