Australian rocket manufacturer ATSpace and spaceport provider, Southern Launch, have been granted Governmental approvals to launch two suborbital “Kestrel I” rockets from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in the coming months.
In order to assess the experimental Kestrel I rocket design under various operational conditions, the VS02 and VS03 missions will fly the rockets along sub-orbital trajectories.
The data collected about rocket launch noise during liftoff will provide important insight into the future operations of the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex.
Southern Launch’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Lloyd Damp, said the company was proud to be supporting Australia’s most complex commercial space launches from its site.
“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,” he continued.
“Southern Launch is committed to advancing a sustainable local space launch industry in Australia. This industry will create new high-paying, skilled jobs for regional and rural Australians and in doing so, will advance Australia’s science and technology capabilities.”
ATSpace’s CEO Dr Yen-Sen Chen, said the coming two suborbital launches were paving the way for the company to become a leading player in Australia’s emerging space industry.
“These two suborbital launches will provide us with valuable data to validate our future Kestrel V orbital design. They are the gateway to ATSpace’s growth and future investment in Australia and jobs for Australians,” he stated.
“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.”
AT Space and Southern Launch acknowledge and appreciate the significant support of the South Australian Government and the Global Australia program within the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
