Australian company Gilmour Space reported the failure of the attempted first space launch of the Eris rocket. It was caused by problems with the head fairing.
Gilmour Space was founded in 2013. Like many other “new space” companies, it declared the creation of a cheap small carrier designed to launch small payloads into low-Earth orbit as its main task.
Since its founding, the company has performed several suborbital tests, as well as a number of burns of the engines that will be installed on its Eris orbiter. It has a three-stage construction. The length of Eris is 25 meters, weight (in fueled state) — 35 tons. It is capable of launching up to 215 kg of payload into a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit and up to 300 kg into a 500-kilometer equatorial orbit. A special feature of the carrier is that the first two stages use hybrid engines with liquid oxidizer and solid propellant, which is printed on a 3D printer. The upper stage is equipped with a liquid engine.
At the end of 2024, the company received authorization from the authorities for a debut launch. After a series of tests, it was scheduled for May 17. However, the historic flight of Australia’s first carrier never took place for a very unusual reason. Shortly before the start of Eris refueling, the electrical mechanism responsible for opening the rocket’s head fairing malfunctioned. As a result, they were dropped at the launch pad.
According to a statement from Gilmour Space, engineers are already working to identify the problem. A spare fairing will be delivered to Australia’s Boeun Spaceport in the coming days. The company estimates that it will be at least a few weeks before a new launch attempt takes place.
It is worth noting that no satellites will be placed aboard the Eris during its debut flight. A pack of vegan cookies will play the role of a healthy load. Gilmour Space hopes to begin regular commercial launches in late 2026-2027.
Earlier we reported on the unusual story of the British Black Arrow rocket, one of the few carriers to orbit Australia.
According to Phys.org
