Gilmour Space Partners with Australian Defence Force

Gilmour Space Technologies has recently entered into a partnership with the Australian Department of Defence. The Gold Coast company, together with the Department of Defence, Science and Technology, will be researching defence-related space technologies, including propulsion, materials, and avionics technologies.

The Department of Defence and Gilmour Space will be aiming to develop a three-stage hybrid rocket to launch satellites and small payloads. The Minister of Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, commented, “Technology advances have allowed rocket systems and launch service providers to offer access to space at a greatly reduced cost and infrastructure footprint”.
 

For Gilmour Space, this new partnership with the Department of Defence could lead to further investment within the company and growth of more jobs. “Gilmour Space Technologies hopes to leverage their work with Defence to undertake more onshore manufacturing of rocket systems and components which, with further investment, could create up to 50 additional jobs by the end of the year,” Member for Fadden, the Hon Stuart Robert MP said.

Gilmour Space remarked, “we are excited to be working closely with DST [Department of Defence Science and Technology] to move faster on our next-generation launch technologies...We believe that sovereign launch capabilities will become critical for the future of our Defence force at a time when civil, commercial and military activities in space are ramping up”.

The partnership would also open up opportunities for Australian space companies to engage in further work with the Australian Defence Force as well as commercial customers. “Recent advancements in the capabilities of micro and nano-satellites, small satellite constellations and additive manufacturing present a unique opportunity for Defence and Australian industry,” said the Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP.
 

Gilmour Space, as a leading hybrid rocket launch provider, is no stranger to collaboration. In 2019 the Gold Coast company signed a statement of strategic intent with the Australian Space Agency. They also signed a statement with Titomic to explore the possibility of using 3D printing to manufacture rocket components. Gilmour Space last year also partnered with the University of Southern Queensland to explore new rocket testing facilities in Queensland and to design STEM activities to engage future generations. 

The company is on a mission to design and develop affordable orbital launch vehicles to deliver payloads into low Earth orbit. They aim to have their first commercial launch in 2022.