Australia's ERIS Dual-Use Rocket

Adam Gilmour, CEO, Co-Founder Gilmour with ERIS Block 1, Australia's dual-use capable rocket. ERIS has the classic ICBM size and shape (eg. like a Minuteman III). Shape includes ERIS not having strap-on boosters that would impede it being placed in silos. (Photo Gilmour Space via Byron Bay's The Echo, March 1, 2024)

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Since I first looked at Virginias for Australia 9 years ago https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2015/02/australian-nuclear-submarine-option.html I think it increasingly unlikely the US will ever deliver Virginias to Australia.

Biden is merely using the receding Virginia mirage to feed Australian hopes until the UK tools up Osborne to merely begin building Australian SSN-AUKUS's for launches at Osborne starting around 2051.

In any case China will not be deterred by merely conventionally armed Australian SSNs.

Rather than SSNs, Australia could more quickly develop ICBMs, which is were Gilmour Space Technologies might come in.

https://www.gspace.com/about Founded by two brothers in Gold Coast, Queensland, GILMOUR SPACE is a venture-capital-backed Australian launch services company that is developing new capabilities for launching satellites to space.​

Since starting its rocket program in 2015, Gilmour Space has become the leading provider of Australian-made launch vehicles and satellite platforms that will lower the cost of accessing space.

Reported in February 2018 https://www.spacetechasia.com/gilmour-space-nasa-sign-space-act-agreement/  "Australia and Singapore-based rocket company, Gilmour Space Technologies, has entered into a Space Act Agreement with the US National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) to collaborate on various research, technology development and educational initiatives, according to Gilmour’s press release."

See Queensland's Gilmour Space dual-use ERIS rocket-missile project https://www.gspace.com/launch .

Specifications: https://www.gspace.com/launch ERIS Block 1 will be 25m tall, 3 stage, diameter 2m tapering to 1.5m (average 1.75m), weighing "over 30 tonnes"

Very significantly https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-27/historic-australian-orbital-rocket-launch-remote-queensland/103265210 [ERIS with a clean missile shape ie. no strap-on side boosters] "is powered by five hybrid engines that contain a solid fuel and a liquid oxidiser."...."During the 1950s American and British made rockets were launched from the Woomera testing range in South Australia, and if ERIS is successful would make Australia just the 12th nation to have access to the technology."

"We have global competitors and they get significantly more funding in their countries than we get from ours," argues Mr Gilmour who is a former banker and lifelong space enthusiast.

"So I think Australia has to have a real good think about what it wants and realise that all of our major allies are pouring hundreds of millions to billions of dollars into launch capability and we're not."

On March 1, 2024 The [Byron Bay] Echo reported https://www.echo.net.au/2024/03/first-australian-made-and-owned-rocket-test-flight-coming/ 

“The [ERIS] rocket, developed on the Gold Coast, was recently transported to the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland to be assembled and is looking to launch in the next few months.

Hear Adam Gilmour (especially 18 minutes in) discussing the possibility of Australian defence uses for ERIS rockets. Not only defence satellite boosting is  possible.

Pete Comment

Gilmour's civilian ERIS Block 1 is to be launched at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Abbot Point North Queensland, in 2024 or 2025.