Gilmour Space announces planned rideshare LEO mission for early 2024

Gilmour Space Technologies has announced a rideshare launch mission into low earth orbit (LEO), planned for early 2024 and dubbed “Australia’s first caravan to space.”

In a statement on Monday, the rocket builder said that the Caravan-1 mission would provide affordable access to launch into a mid-inclination orbit, and the option to customers of a standard 15-inch adaptor port and/or use of Gilmour’s modular satellite platform, G-sat.

Gilmour plans its maiden launch into orbit for early-2023. Besides manufacturing and launching its own rockets, the company is developing satellites. It was awarded a $15 million contract by the former Coalition federal government in May to develop a surveillance satellite for Defence and launch it next year. This would also makes use of the G-sat platform.

“Caravan-1 will launch in 2024 on our upgraded Eris Block 2 rocket (pictured), which will have a lift capacity of one tonne or 1,000 kilograms to LEO — a significant upgrade in launch capability and capacity for our customers,” said Adam Gilmour, -cofounder and CEO.

The company explained that a rideshare launch differs from others in that instead of a primary launch customer payload, it would carry many smaller payloads. These could be “cubesats, microsats and other small spacecraft.”

The launch planned for 2023 would be the nation’s first orbital launch attempt, as well as the first orbital launch attempt from a commercial Australian site.

Gilmour is developing the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland. It leads a consortium awarded a $52 million grant in March this year to build three new facilities in Queensland: a common test and manufacturing facility, a facility for building commercial rockets and satellites, and the orbital spaceport at Abbot Point near Bowen in North Queensland.

Picture: An artist’s impression of the Eris Block 2 launch vehicle (supplied)