LAUNCH FAILURE! Gilmour Space: Eris 1 Test Flight — YouTube
See more
The first all-Australian rocket, Eris-1, crashed to Earth 14 seconds after liftoff, marking the country's first attempt at orbital flight in nearly 54 years.
On Tuesday (July 29), at 8:35 a.m. local time (6:35 p.m. ET), private Australian company Gilmour Space Technologies launched the first Eris-class rocket from the Bowen Spaceport on the Queensland coast. However, just 23 seconds after the engines ignited and just 14 seconds after liftoff, the spacecraft landed back on Earth.
Video footage of the launch shows the rocket initially taking off as expected, with all four engines firing. However, after clearing the launch pad, its lift suddenly stopped and it began to veer sideways before falling back to the ground and disappearing in a cloud of smoke, likely landing on its side. There was no explosion, but the rocket quickly caught fire.
You may like
-
Spaceship carrying cannabis and human remains crashes into ocean
-
SpaceX spacecraft explodes on Texas launch pad in 'catastrophic failure' during routine test
-
Japanese spacecraft shuts down during moon landing attempt, throwing European rover into doubt
Eris-1, which stood about 25 meters (82 feet) tall, was the first spacecraft built entirely by an Australian company. It was also the country's first orbital launch attempt since October 1971, when Britain successfully launched a Black Arrow rocket from a launch site in South Australia, AP News reported.
The launch was originally scheduled for March but was delayed due to adverse weather conditions caused by Cyclone Alfred. The launch attempt was cancelled in
Sourse: www.livescience.com
