Canberra: Australia’s first domestically built rocket crashed just 14 seconds after takeoff on Wednesday. It was the first orbital launch attempt from Australia in over 50 years. The Eris launch vehicle made its first attempt to reach orbit in a test flight from a spaceport near Bowen, a small town in northern Queensland.
The dramatic visuals of the crash surfaced online. In the visuals, it could be seen that the 23-metre rocket initially gained some thrust; however, it came down crashing just after 14 seconds.
Gilmour Space Technologies carried out the test flight. The rocket cleared the launch tower, but it could not sustain its flight, and after 23 seconds of engine burn, it crashed. The company also shared the footage of the launch with the caption, "Liftoff completed, launch tower cleared, stage 1 tested. Awesome result for a first test launch."
The company hinted at the second flight test in its X post. "Today, Eris became the first #AustralianMade orbital rocket to launch from Australian soil — ~14s of flight, 23s engine burn. Big step for 🇦🇺 launch capability. Team safe, data in hand, eyes on TestFlight 2," Gilmour Space Technologies said in the X post.
No injuries were reported in the crash. "Most importantly, the team is safe and energised for Test Flight 2. Only six nations launch to orbit regularly — and just a handful are working to join them. Today brings Australia closer to that club," the company said in a statement.
As per the company, Eris Rocket uses a proprietary hybrid-propellant technology that is safer and cheaper than traditional liquid- and solid-fuelled rockets.
