Countdown on for SA rocket launches
Two sub-orbital rockets will be launched from the Eyre Peninsula later this year following federal government approval for the missions.
CEO of ATSpace Yensen Chen and Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp in front of a Kestrel I rocket. Photo: supplied
Rocket manufacturer ATSpace and spaceport provider Southern Launch announced today they will launch the Kestrel I rockets from the Whalers Way complex on Eyre Peninsula in coming months.
The VS02 and VS03 missions will fly the experimental rockets along sub-orbital trajectories to test their design under different operating conditions.
Rocket noise data will also be collected on the ground during lift-off to provide information for the future operation of the Whalers Way Complex.
Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp said the missions would provide important data, with the company observing “significant progress across Australia’s space industry over recent months”.
“For Southern Launch to be supporting Australia’s most complex commercial space launches from our site is a remarkable achievement by my proud team,” he said in a statement.
“The VS02 and VS03 launches will provide a significant amount of data that will be used to inform best practice during future launch campaigns and the development of South Australia’s space industry”.
ATSpace chief executive Yen-Sen Chen said the missions would demonstrate the technical performance of the Kestrel I systems.
“These two sub-orbital launches will provide us with valuable data to validate our future Kestrel V orbital design,” he said.
“They are the gateway to ATSpace’s growth and future investment in Australia and jobs for Australians.
“Launching into space is a challenging task for any launch vehicle company. It’s only possible to attain the technical maturity through well-planned test launches.
“VS02 and VS03 are part of the equation for us to reach that status.”
The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex is in a conservation zone about 25-kilometres southwest of Port Lincoln.
Conservations and local residents have long been opposed to the site’s status as a launch complex, arguing it should not be located in a conservation zone that is home to several state and federal-listed threatened bird species.
ATSpace is the Australian sister company of Taiwan-based space firm tiSPACE, which partnered with Southern Launch to launch a 10-metre test rocket from Whalers Way in 2021.
But those plans had to be abandoned after three unsuccessful launches, with the rocket catching fire on its final attempt to get off the ground.
-With AAP
