First Eris Test Flight Now Planned NET July 3
High Winds have Delayed Gilmour Space Launch
The first test flight of the Australian orbital class rocket Eris is now scheduled for Not Earlier Than (NET) July 3. The Gilmour Space rocket has been standing on its launch pad since June 25, but weather conditions have not been favorable to the test flight.
The flight was initially planned for May 16, but was scrubbed following a pre-launch anomaly during final preparations. During a pre-flight test, it appears that an electrical fault inadvertently triggered the deployment mechanism of the rocket’s payload fairing — the carbon-fibre nose cone designed to protect the payload during ascent.
The incident occurred prior to fuelling, and importantly, there were no injuries. Initial assessments suggest there is no damage to the launch vehicle or ground systems.
An internal anomaly investigation showed that the payload fairing system was triggered during a vehicle shutdown by an unexpected power surge, caused by electrical backfeed from downstream devices.
While shutdowns are a normal part of launch operations, this issue didn’t appear during previous tests. That’s because the fairing separation system is single-use and isn’t activated to maintain its reliability and ensure safety. Additional safeguards have been installed to prevent this from happening again. These upgrades will be verified in our system test before the next flight.
The Eris Test Flight 1 will launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport, North Queensland. When it launches, Eris 1 will be the first Australian-made rocket to attempt orbit, and the nation's first orbital launch in over 50 years.