To date, only a handful of countries have developed an independent launch capability. If all goes according to plan, Gilmour Space could enable Australia to become the 12th member of the club able to put its own rockets into space.
Founded in 2012, Australian company Gilmour Space is working on hybrid-engine rockets and associated technologies to support the development of low-cost space launch vehicles.
A hybrid-propellant rocket is one with a motor that uses propellants in two different phases: one solid, the other gas or liquid. This can avoid some disadvantages of pure solid rockets, like the dangers of propellant handling, while also avoiding some disadvantages of pure liquid rockets, such as their mechanical complexity. It also has the potential to be cheaper and with lower environmental impact.
In 2016, Gilmour Space launched its first hybrid rocket, the prototype “Reusable Ascent SeparaTion Article” (RASTA). This included a world-first use of 3D printed rocket fuel. The tiny, sub-orbital rocket achieved a flight time of 90 seconds, reaching an altitude of 5,000 metres (16,400 ft).
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