Jammed Launch: Australian-Made Rocket Fails to Takeoff, Vegemite Payload Safe
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Postponement: Australian rocket launch put off once more - Delay in Launch: Australian Space Rocket Launch Pushed Back Yet Again
A technical mishap has dented Australia's space ambitions as its homegrown rocket, the Eris, failed to launch once again. This time, it was a payload fairing issue that played spoilsport, causing the jar of Vegemite, Australia's beloved bread spread, to remain safe on the ground.
"We've got a tough, resilient lot here, just like that Vegemite jar," chuckled Michelle Gilmour, the vivacious communications director of Gilmour Space Technologies, speaking to news agency AFP.
The scheduled launch on Wednesday was scrapped due to an electrical fault in the power supply system, used for system checks. The fault led to the nose cone separation, an occurrence previously unanticipated. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and there was no damage to the Eris rocket, which is a triumph of Australian engineering and ingenuity, standing at 23-meters tall and weighing about 30-tons[1].
Initially slated for a May 15 launch at a spaceport in Bowen, eastern Australia, the Eris rocket, had it successfully taken off, would have marked a history-making mission, becoming the first Australian-made rocket to break free from Australian soil[2]. The company's CEO was cautiously optimistic yet skeptical: "If the rocket actually makes it to space and orbits the Earth, 'it'd probably give me a heart attack, but also elate me,'" he shared with AFP. "Just seeing it soar over even a few seconds would be a dream come true for us," he added[2].
The long-term vision for the Eris rocket is to ferry tiny satellites into low Earth orbit, with a theoretical payload capacity ranging between 100 to 200 kilograms[3]. However, for this test flight, the Vegemite jar seemed to be the only passenger on board[3].
Currently, Gilmour Space Technologies is hot on the heels of the problem, investigating the fault and planning to deploy a replacement fairing from their Gold Coast facility before rearranging the launch[4].
- Space Rocket (Eris)
- Australia
- Spacecraft
- AFP
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