Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was in attendance at the reveal of Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris rocket, the very first home-grown orbital launch vehicle in Australia.
Albanese joined the unveiling of the Eris rocket yesterday, the first Australian-made one to attempt orbital space launch. The rocket features Gilmour’s hybrid rocket engine technology, which is one of the first in the world to use a combination of solid and liquid propellants.
“When this rocket goes into space, it will carry 300 companies with it. Australia will become the 12th country in the world to be able to have access to this technology – designed, manufactured and built right here (on the Gold Coast) and creating high-quality jobs,” Albanese said.
The Prime Minister said Gilmour Space is among the companies the National Reconstruction Fund seeks to support, pushing the agenda of a future made in Australia through an Australian procurement policy that supports locally made products and Australian science and innovation.
“Australia can compete with the rest of the world. What we need to do is to back our businesses that are doing it. This is truly an Australian manufacturing success story, and we want more of them,” Albanese added.
Adam Gilmour, CEO of Gilmour Space, highlighted the need for Australia to have its own sovereign launch and satellite technologies in order to foster its capabilities in defence, communications, and advanced manufacturing.
“Both the State and Federal governments have been great supporters of the space industry here in Queensland, and we appreciate their ongoing support for Australian innovation, high-tech jobs, and manufacturing,” the CEO said.
“The team is working hard toward the first test launch of our Eris rocket later this year from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland. Only 11 nations have launched their own rockets into orbit, and our efforts will help to build a significant dual-use capability for Australia,” Gilmour added.
