South Australian space companies Southern Launch and ATSpace have had another aborted attempt to test their rockets from their Eyre Pennisula launch site.

On Thursday, Southern Launch prepared a Kestrel I rocket for its VS02 mission but in a statement said that a leak had been detected, halting the launch.

The delay comes after five incidents at Whalers Way which have seen rockets fail to reach space.

In September last year, three failed launches of a TiSPACE Taiwanese-made rocket ended with a rocket catching fire on the launch pad.

These attempts saw Southern Launch shift its focus from the Taiwanese-made Hapith I rocket to the Australian-made ATSpace Kestrel I rocket.

ATSpace was founded in Australia in January 2021 and is the sister company to TiSPACE.

On 14 November this year, a severe electrical storm damaged the Kestrel I rocket and caused the cancellation of a launch.

The ATSpace Kestrel I rocket on the launchpad at Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. Photo: Supplied/ Southern Launch

Last week, Southern Launch announced it had completed repairs following that electrical storm and would launch the VSO2 and a VSO3 mission before the end of the year.

After yesterday’s postponed launch, Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said Southern Launch still aims to launch the VSO3 rocket before December 20.

“We are incredibly excited that we still have the opportunity to launch the VS03 mission before the end of the year,” Damp said.

That mission intends for the 10-metre Kestrel I rocket to carry three South Australian designed payloads to an altitude of 200km at speeds of more than 5000km/h and spend about 10 minutes in space.

UPDATE – The launch for today has been scrubbed. We will provide further information about upcoming plans shortly.

— Southern Launch (@SouthernLaunch) December 15, 2022

In September, Southern Launch formed a sharing partnership with the United States Space Command, the first commercial Australian space company to enter such an agreement.

Under the arrangement, Southern Launch notifies the United States Space Command ahead of time to identify launch windows that ensure the trajectory of vehicles avoids space objects already in orbit.

The launches off the coast of the Eyre Peninsula have attracted criticism from conservationists who are concerned about the site’s location within a conservation zone.

Nature Conservation Society advocate Julie Peacock said there are a number of animals affected by rocket launches in the region.

“The ‘test’ launches are purportedly to investigate the impact of launch noise on threatened animals at the site, including the shy, timid Emu-wren and a type of Whipbird,” Peacock said.

“It is a high bushfire risk area, and we don’t believe it is the right location for an experimental rocket launching facility.”

The state government has yet to approve the company’s plans for a permanent orbital space launch facility at the site, which is currently operating on a temporary basis.