Viral Video: Australia’s First Homegrown Rocket Crashes 14 Seconds After Liftoff
Australia’s first domestically built rocket, the Eris, crashed just 14 seconds after liftoff on Wednesday in a setback for the country’s space ambitions.
Developed by Gilmour Space Technologies, the Eris rocket was launched from a spaceport near the town of Bowen in northern Queensland. The mission aimed to carry small satellites into orbit as part of a test flight.
A now-viral video of the incident shows the rocket lifting off slowly before hovering and collapsing mid-air. It then crashes back onto the launch site, erupting in a plume of smoke.
Despite the failed attempt, Gilmour Space Technologies CEO Adam Gilmour remained optimistic.
“Of course I would have liked more flight time, but happy with this,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Gilmour had earlier noted that it is “almost unheard of” for a private rocket company to reach orbit on its first try.
The company had previously stated it would consider the launch a success if the rocket simply left the ground. In a statement following the crash, the firm confirmed that the launchpad infrastructure remained intact.
The Eris launch had faced previous delays in May and earlier this July due to technical issues and adverse weather conditions.
Liftoff completed, launch tower cleared, stage 1 tested.
Awesome result for a first test launch. pic.twitter.com/EYbNbGDz3l— Gilmour Space (@GilmourSpace) July 30, 2025
