A Queensland space company has reached its final milestone as it prepares to go into orbit next year.
Gilmour Space Technologies' latest rocket engine passed the final qualification stage, as it reached the mission duration performance needed to get to space.
"All engines are now qualified for our first orbital test launch next year," the company's chief executive and co-founder Adam Gilmour said.
In its latest test, the rocket's main engine generated a record 115 kilonewtons or 25,850 pounds-force of stable and efficient combustion.
Mr Gilmour said the single-port hybrid rocket engine is an important element of the rocket's "flight components".
"It is quite a critical piece of our orbital launch technology, and we conducted a very successful test firing of it," he said.
"It was manufactured as if it was on the vehicle in terms of all flight components.
"So, we use this engine on our first stage with four of these motors and on our second stage with one of these motors," Mr Gilmour said.
The main engine was constructed by a team of about 10 people at their factory on the Gold Coast, where the first prototype was developed 18 months ago.
"Longer than I hoped for, but at least we are there now," Mr Gilmour said.
In a test earlier this year, the hybrid rocket engine almost qualified when it reached a full thrust of 110 kilonewtons or 25,000 pounds force.
But the test was cut short after concerns a sensor was getting too hot.
Launch in 2023
Five single-port hybrid rocket engines will help blast the rocket, named Eris, into space, playing a crucial part in the first and second stages of the launch.
Gilmour Space aims to launch the rocket into orbit from Bowen in north Queensland in 2023.
"We are now ready to go on and complete the vehicle and go for a launch attempt next year," Mr Gilmour said.
The rocket will also have a small satellite payload inside of it, where it will be sending signals back to the team on Earth.
"We are going to take some pictures of the Earth," he said.
Mr Gilmour hopes his company's space exploration sparks more local endeavours.
"There are only 10 countries on the planet that have actually sent any payloads to space on their own domestic launch vehicles," he said.
"So, we'd be the 11th nation to do it.
"My hope is that this inspires Australia to think bigger, to take more risk and to try for things that do seem impossible when you first think about them," Mr Gilmour said.
The Gold Coast space company is also planning to build bigger rockets in the future.
"In the next few years, we will be very focused on launching satellites into low Earth," Mr Gilmour said.
"We do plan on sending humans to space, but that's approximately 10 years away on our technology road map.
"But we have got to go step by step.''
