Gilmour Space Technologies plans Australia’s first ‘caravan’ space mission in 2024

Queensland-based space startup Gilmour Space Technologies has unveiled plans to launch Australia’s first ‘caravan’ rideshare mission into low Earth orbit (LEO) in 2024.

The mission, which will be known as Caravan-1, will be carrying multiple satellites and payloads into LEOs. 

A rideshare launch consists of many customer payloads such as cubesats, microsats and other small spacecraft, unlike most rocket launches which host a primary customer payload.

Gilmour Space started its rocket program in 2015 and has raised $87 million in funding. The company, which recently signed an agreement with British satellite telecommunications company Inmarsat to support space launches from Australia using Inmarsat’s InRange system, expects to launch its first Eris vehicle from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland early next year.

Adam Gilmour, CEO and co-founder of Gilmour Space, says the Eris rocket will be Australia’s first orbital rocket and first orbital launch attempt from a commercial Australian launch site. 

“We are also developing the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland, and it’s been fantastic to work with Inmarsat as a well-established partner to help us demonstrate space-based telemetry for our first and future Eris launches from Australia,” he said.

Gilmour says the Caravan-1 mission in 2024 will provide affordable access to new space customers looking to launch into a mid-inclination orbit at the end of that year.

“Caravan-1 will launch in 2024 on our upgraded Eris Block 2 rocket, which will have a lift capacity of one tonne or 1000 kilograms to LEO — a significant upgrade in launch capability and capacity for our customers,” he said.

“The next few years are going to be a very exciting time for the global space industry, and missions like this will allow us to support the growth of new satellite and in-orbit technologies that could benefit humanity on Earth, in space, and beyond.”

Gilmour Space’s Eris Block 2 launch vehicle will launch Caravan-1, its first dedicated rideshare mission in 2024. Source: supplied

Caravan-1 customers will also have the option of using a standard 15-inch (31cm) adaptor port, and/or leveraging on Gilmour Space’s modular satellite platform, called the G-Sat, for individual payloads.

According to the venture-backed space manufacturer, Australia is among many new players in the global space market; comprising of mostly startups in the early stages of developing new space technologies.

“Access to space (specifically, launch cost and availability) is a major challenge for these companies as they develop, test, iterate, and rapidly deploy their technologies in space,” a Gilmour Space spokesperson said.

“Often their only option is to be a ‘rideshare’ customer, piggybacking on a larger customer’s launch. But while this can help to reduce cost, being a secondary payload has some challenges, not the least of which is the limited availability of suitable launches globally.”

Gilmour Space is backed by venture capital firms Blackbird and Main Sequence, the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), superannuation funds HESTA, Hostplus and NGS Super; and international investors such as Fine Structure Ventures and 500 Startups.