Australia's Eris Rocket Aims for a Second Orbital Launch Attempt in 2026

Australia's push to launch satellites into orbit from its own soil suffered an early setback this year, but the company behind the effort has made clear that the story is far from over. Gilmour Space says it is now preparing for another attempt to reach orbit.

The Queensland based firm has confirmed that it intends to try again in 2026, following a debut flight that ended only seconds after the rocket left the launch pad. The company has framed the outcome as one step in a long development process rather than an ending.

A setback that did not stop the program

The first flight of the Eris rocket took place on 29 July 2025 from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport on the coast of North Queensland. According to reports of the launch, the vehicle rose from the pad before falling back to Earth around 14 seconds after liftoff.

For a maiden flight of an entirely new rocket, an early failure is not unusual, and many established launch companies lost their first vehicles before eventually reaching orbit. Gilmour Space has treated the attempt as a source of data rather than a reason to abandon the project.

Australia's first orbital rocket

Eris holds a particular place in the country's history because it is described as Australia's first orbital rocket, and the first Australian made vehicle to attempt to reach orbit from Australian soil. That distinction has given the program a national significance beyond the fortunes of a single company.

Gilmour Space was founded on the Gold Coast in Queensland, and traces the foundational years of its work back to the middle of the last decade. Over that period it has grown from a start up into a business developing both rockets and the satellites they are meant to carry.

What the Eris rocket is designed to do

The Eris vehicle stands around 23 metres tall and is built as a three stage orbital rocket. It is designed to carry small satellites and other payloads weighing up to 300 kilograms into space, placing it in the category of dedicated small launch vehicles.

That class of rocket is aimed at a growing market for small satellites, which are used for tasks such as communications, earth observation and scientific research. A local launch option would let Australian operators send such payloads to orbit without relying entirely on overseas providers.

A return to flight planned for 2026

The company has said it does not intend to give up after the first attempt, describing plans to return to the pad and carry out further launches. In its own words, it is going to be launching again next year, and expects to make more attempts as the program matures.

According to the company's stated schedule, a second orbital flight known as Eris TestFlight2 is expected to follow a first hypersonic flight test planned for the first half of 2026. That sequencing points to a busy year of testing rather than a single decisive launch.

Building a sovereign launch capability

The effort sits within a broader ambition to establish a sovereign launch capability in Australia, meaning the ability to send payloads to orbit from domestic soil. The Bowen Orbital Spaceport itself received Australia's first orbital launch facility licence back in March 2024.

Supporters of the project argue that a home grown launch industry could bring jobs, technical skills and a measure of strategic independence, while giving researchers and companies easier access to space. The wider goal of developing the country's space sector has drawn public backing.

The road ahead

For now, the immediate focus is on preparing the next vehicle and working through the lessons of the first flight, from the performance of the engines to the behaviour of the rocket in its opening seconds. Each of those details feeds directly into the design of the next attempt.

Whether the second flight reaches orbit or not, the program has already shown that an Australian company can build a large rocket and attempt a launch from home soil. The coming year will reveal how quickly that ambition can be translated into a fully successful mission.