The boss of a Gold Coast start-up* housed in an industrial shed* has set the bold goal of beating the company of one of the world’s richest men in the commercial space race*.
Gilmour Space Technologies aims to stage a maiden launch* for its prototype* Eris* rocket before the end of the year and Chief Executive Officer Adam Gilmour said he hoped the venture* would be more successful than that of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship spacecraft, which exploded four minutes after takeoff on its test flight last month.
Mr Gilmour said there were various stages that would constitute* a “successful” launch, but making it further than the SpaceX rocket’s test flight would be a huge achievement for the project, which hosted a visit from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“We don’t think it will go all the way to space purely because statistically* no rocket ever has, so … if we get off the pad that’s good,” he said.
“If we get through the maximum pressure that will be put on the vehicle, which is about 40 seconds in to the flight, that’s good, if we go through the first stage and there’s burn and it cuts off and there’s a staged separation*, that is fantastic.
“If you look at the last SpaceX flight, they didn’t even get to the main engine cut off or the staged separation, so I want to beat SpaceX if we can.”
Technicians at the Helensvale-based Gilmour Space Technologies are making the finishing touches on the Eris rocket, named in honour of the moon beyond Pluto, which the company hopes to travel to one day.
A launch at Bowen in North Queensland sometime between October and December is on the cards, but whether it outperforms* SpaceX remains to be seen.
Ahead of his own rocket launch in Texas last month, Mr Musk said getting Starship in the air without destroying the launch pad would be seen as a win, and he was pleased that it made it four minutes into the atmosphere before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico.
Mr Gilmour said there were vast differences between the two ventures on opposite sides of the world.
At 23m long, Gilmour’s Eris cost about $100 million to manufacture, while the 120-metre Starship was valued at about $3 billion.
“They’re a totally different market,” he said.
“I say SpaceX is the A380 of passenger aircraft and we’re the business jet. When you’ve got a customer that wants to get to a specific place in space, a big rocket like a SpaceX rocket doesn’t do it. We have a big market in front of us in taking small satellites all over the place. One day, if all goes well, then we’ll get to Eris.”
Mr Gilmour hopes to take passengers into space by the end of the decade.
Mr Albanese was full of praise for the Gilmour endeavour* and their lofty goals*.
“This is a great Australian success story, a company that began eight years ago that now employs 200 people at the cutting edge* of innovation*, science, new technology and new jobs,” he said.
But he was less than keen on the idea of flying into space himself.
“I’ve got my feet firmly grounded* here in Australia,” he said.
GLOSSARY
- start-up: a new company that is just beginning and trying to develop a successful business
- industrial shed: a large building where work or manufacturing activities take place
- commercial space race: a competition between companies to achieve advancements and success in space-related activities that involve making money
- maiden launch: the first ever launch or flight of a rocket or spacecraft
- prototype: an early version or model of a product that is built to test and improve it before making the final version
- Eris: the name of the prototype rocket developed by Gilmour Space Technologies
- venture: an undertaking or project involving some risk, usually with the aim of achieving success or making a profit
- constitute: to form or make something
- statistically: based on facts, data, or probabilities gathered from many different situations
- staged separation: the deliberate separation or disconnection of different parts or stages of a rocket during its flight
- outperforms: to perform better or achieve greater success than something or someone else
- endeavour: an effort or project that requires a lot of work and determination to achieve a goal
- lofty goals: ambitious or high-reaching objectives
- cutting edge: at the forefront of new developments or innovations
- innovation: the introduction of new ideas, methods, or technologies
- grounded: having a firm connection or attachment to reality or a specific place
EXTRA READING
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes
SpaceX junk crashes into Aussie farm at speed
Splash down for space travellers after five months in orbit
QUICK QUIZ
- What is the goal of Gilmour Space Technologies?
- Why does Adam Gilmour hope the venture will be more successful than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship?
- What are some stages that would constitute a “successful” launch according to Mr Gilmour?
- Where are the technicians at Gilmour Space Technologies working on the Eris rocket?
- How does Mr Gilmour describe the difference between Gilmour’s Eris rocket and SpaceX’s Starship?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Success
Mr Gilmour and Mr Musk both have similar ideas about what constitutes a “successful” mission. Write a paragraph to comment on what can be learnt from this attitude and how you can apply it to your own endeavours.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Personal and Social Capability
2. Extension
Gilmour Space Technologies have a small goal that they are working to achieve by the end of this year, a bigger goal they are aiming to achieve by the end of the decade and a huge goal for someday in the future.
Think about what you would like to achieve. Set a short-term, medium-term and long-term goal for yourself.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Personal and Social Capability
VCOP ACTIVITY
To sum it up
After reading the article, use your comprehension skills to summarise in a maximum of three sentences what the article is about.
Think about:
- What is the main topic or idea?
- What is an important or interesting fact?
- Who was involved (people or places)?
- Use your VCOP skills to re-read your summary to make sure it is clear, specific and well punctuated.