“Watch This Space” Gilmour Space Technologies
Sitting on the rooftop of a house their grandfather crafted by hand, CEOs of Gilmour Space Technologies, James and Adam Gilmour, traced constellations across Queensland's sky. "Our grandfather… he was heavy in photography and astrology. I remember him taking me up to the top of the house to show me the constellations, which I still recall. And I'll pass it down now to my daughter," James recalls.
That childhood fascination, sparked by stargazing with their grandad, a love of science fiction, and a well-worn copy of The Young Scientist Book of Space Flight, became the compass that guided the brothers far beyond backyard dreams, fuelling a passion that would take them to space. 2012 marked a turning point for the brothers, who quit their jobs and committed themselves entirely to the space industry.
A venturesome idea quickly gained momentum, and within a decade, the pair's small start-up had turned into a pioneering force that is now pushing the boundaries of Australian spaceflight.
"It is with great pride and satisfaction to realise that within that short time we're now Australia's largest space technology employer, devoted solely to building rockets and satellites," James enthused.
From brothers to business partners, the Gilmour brothers have defied space and time, conquering many challenges together. Still, their relationship has only got stronger, with James looking up to Adam as a "role model," while they traverse the unknown by each other's side.
"We try to profit that the best idea wins… we've fought many battles together," James explained.
A mere four years after Gilmour Space Technologies' inception in 2016, the team successfully launched their first rocket. Following the mission's success, Gilmour embarked on their next major programme, SR0, which unfortunately failed. James explained that this experience was a valuable learning curve for the team. Echoing the words of J.F. Kennedy, he reflected:
"We do this not because it's easy, but because it's hard."
"We're just getting started, and some of our biggest challenges lie ahead."
We have lift-off! ... or do we?
The brothers returned to Bowen with renewed determination, aiming to launch Australia's first orbital sovereign rocket. The operation turned out to be a challenging feat and an even more arduous journey for the team, with regulatory hurdles and technical delays regularly obstructing their take-off.
Despite this, the rocket successfully launched on the 30th of July, ascending into the sky, executing precise pad manoeuvres and validating critical systems. Unfortunately, like many space operations, not everything goes smoothly the first time, and an unexpected anomaly occurred, preventing a complete mission success. The attempt, however, was far from a failure.
"We did have an anomaly which led to a failure, but we had little or no damage… we will be getting a lot of data from this that goes into improving the reliability of future vehicles," James stressed.
Even in the face of setbacks, the whole team remains optimistic. The mission's attempt will help shape the next generation of rockets and provide much-needed data to bring Australia closer to its historic goal of joining the ranks of nations capable of independent orbital spaceflight.
Undeterred, the team is already planning the next chapter of Gilmour Space Technologies. They are investigating the anomaly, preparing for their upcoming suborbital campaign, Tyron, later this year, and raising crucial funds to secure the long-term survival and growth of a homegrown Australian space program. In James' words:
"Our next steps are to just generally be awesome."
"I want to get to space, and it would be nice to have our own right to get to space."
Behind the ambition is a team of engineers guided by safety, innovation, courage, and perseverance, supporting every decision. James takes pride in watching his young engineers grow into leaders who are shaping the future of Australian aerospace and is proud of his whole team.
"We have demonstrated that it is possible for a private entrepreneurial team that is well led to do things, that previously individuals only thought government powers could do.
"I think it's a step towards space sovereignty that will redefine the nations status in the in the world, which is super exciting. So watch this space."
