Gilmour Space Technologies

[Steven Pietrobon]

Looks like Gilmour are looking to develop LOX compatible composite pressure tanks.

"A Gilmour Space Technologies, University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Teakle Composites project to create lightweight rocket fuel tanks was included in the latest round of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants.

The project is a$12.5 million investment by the consortium with support from the federal government in order to design, develop and manufacture flight ready cryotanks."

https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/manufacturing/4160-multi-million-investment-boost-to-develop-next-gen-rocket-fuel-tank

[CameronD]

Looks like Gilmour are looking to develop LOX compatible composite pressure tanks.

"A Gilmour Space Technologies, University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Teakle Composites project to create lightweight rocket fuel tanks was included in the latest round of the Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants.

The project is a$12.5 million investment by the consortium with support from the federal government in order to design, develop and manufacture flight ready cryotanks."

https://www.spaceconnectonline.com.au/manufacturing/4160-multi-million-investment-boost-to-develop-next-gen-rocket-fuel-tank

In conversation with the guys at Perigee at the SA Space Forum yesterday (interrupted by the Prime Minister) it seems Perigee, for one, have already developed a system to manufacture flight ready cryotanks for their Blue Whale vehicle.

Maybe all Gilmour need do to earn $12.5million is to buy/license it from them??  That's a tidy sum for a day's work!
 

[Mammutti]

Gilmour Space Technologies to develop rockets for the Defence Force

Gold Coast space-tech company Gilmour Space Technologies has penned an R&D agreement with the Federal Government today.

The new partnership between Defence Science and Technology and Gilmour Space will see the two research defence-related technologies including propulsion, materials and avionics technologies.

The research will then be utilised in the development of a three-stage hybrid rocket that will launch small payloads and satellites into space.

Minister for Defence, Senator Linda Reynolds, says the collaboration will be beneficial not only for the nation's defence capabilities but the commercial sector too.

"Technology advances have allowed rocket systems and launch service providers to offer access to space at a greatly reduced cost and infrastructure footprint," Reynolds said.

According to MP Stuart Robert, the Federal Member for where Gilmour Space Technologies is based, the partnership will mean more jobs for the Gold Coast.

"Gilmour Space Technologies hopes to leverage their work with Defence to undertake more onshore manufacturing of rocket systems and components which, with further investment, could create up to 50 additional jobs by the end of the year," Robert said.

This latest partnership follows another major deal struck by Gilmour Space Technologies, co-founded by Adam and James Gilmour, with the Australian Space Agency.

Gilmour, which has developed its own 'One Vision' suborbital rocket to deliver satellite payloads into space, signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation with the agency in December 2019.

The Gold Coast-based company has been actively involved in Australia's growing space sector in recent years.

The company was "over the moon" when the Federal Government announced a $150 million investment into the country's space sector, which the company said it was well placed to take full advantage of.

The company aims to launch its small satellites into low earth orbits by 2022, and over the last three years it successfully developed and test-fired its proprietary hybrid rocket engine to a record 80 kilonewtons of thrust.

https://www.businessnewsaus.com.au/articles/gilmour-space-technologies-to-develop-rockets-for-the-defence-force.html

[TrevorMonty]

Good time to find some government funding as VC market isn't great for startup   for next few years.

[heiterefahne]

Did anyone see how much money is in that deal?

[plugger.lockett]

Did anyone see how much money is in that deal?

Yes. In short there is no money attached, it's a collaboration agreement.

While the deal was simply a collaboration agreement, Mr Gilmour said the door was open for monetary deals to be struck as more opportunities were identified down the track.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/defence-turns-to-queensland-hybrid-rockets-to-get-satellites-into-orbit-20200514-p54szw.html

Also, from the article linked above (emphasis mine)

Gilmour, which has developed its own 'One Vision' suborbital rocket to deliver satellite payloads into space, signed a Statement of Strategic Intent and Cooperation with the agency in December 2019.

Does anything about that statement strike you as strange? It certainly seems incorrect to me.

[plugger.lockett]

Gilmour has posted a hybrid static test video to youtube.

[john smith 19]

Does anything about that statement strike you as strange? It certainly seems incorrect to me.

It's poor English, but not necessarily factually wrong.

"Space" is IIRC anywhere above 62Km.  So a sub orbital could deliver a payload to space (that's why people buy sounding rockets).

But a satellite implies an orbit, which sub orbitals cannot manage.

Testing parts for future satellite payloads could be what was meant. OTOH saying they could achieve satellite orbit from a sub orbital would be flat out wrong.

No doubt time will tell which is the correct meaning.

[plugger.lockett]

The Kármán line is at 100km (62 miles) and yes, that's arguably what the world recognises as the beginning of space.

And IIRC the "One Vision" rocket was meant to be at test bed vehicle for them that would allow them to fly their in-house developed hybrid and stay below 100k feet (once again IIRC) to be a demo/shakedown flight and get them telemetry data. The legislation around breaking the Kármán line is quite onerous down here, hence the lack of a space shot. It now seems to have morphed into their primary current launch vehicle, at least according to their latest musings on the subject.

It also seems as if they're pivoting towards human flight...

The Gilmour Space Technologies co-founder said he and his development team wanted to take people into space, just like US SpaceX founder, Elon Musk....
Mr Gilmour said he made no secret of the fact that he wanted to travel to space within 10 years, and he wanted to do that from a launch site in Queensland.
"There's no reason why we can't launch people into space from Queensland," he said.
"If we are launching satellites we can launch people."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-25/queensland-rocket-techonology-hoped-to-launch-people-into-space/12390718

I wish they'd spend more time flying rockets instead of doing static tests and shifting the goal posts in terms of their goals. It seems to be a standard thing with some new space entities; instead of hitting incremental milestones they just keep setting more ambitious milestones without ever hitting the previous benchmarks. It's a constant stream of optimism despite continually missing critical targets. To my knowledge they've never successfully launched and recovered any rocket and yet they're talking about flying humans to space within 10 years?!? I mean, come on...

[CameronD]

Whilst the cynical could see that presser as merely being Gilmour crying poor:

"We haven't got any money from the space agency, but we are confident our technology will work, we just need the funding," he said.

of more interest to me is the "Launch Whitsunday" concept which it seems is proposed near Abbot Point just outside Bowen in North Queensland.

CQUniversity Dean of Research Professor Steven Moore has proposed a commercial satellite launch complex called Launch Whitsunday to be built in the Abbot Point State Development Area near Bowen.

'The Bowen region of Queensland is an excellent location for a launch base, being only 20 degrees south of the equator, rockets can harness the earth's rotation to slingshot eastward to achieve both equatorial and polar orbits with less fuel,'

'One of the biggest gaps Australia has in the space industry in comparison to the US is not having a commercial launch facility,' Professor Moore told the Bulletin.

'If this proposal goes ahead all the different satellite and rocket companies around Australia and the world will be able to utilise the complex.

'The State Government has a plan for our economic recovery post-COVID-19 and space is an important part of the economy as we move forward.

'The space industry could create up to 6000 new high-value jobs for Queenslanders.'

https://www.triplem.com.au/story/bowen-could-be-the-next-location-for-space-travel-launches-162804

   

[edzieba]

Beyond the need to ship your rocket - or set up your manufacturing facility - 'down under', a launch complex able to launch to almost all commercial inclinations (does anyone even fly non-security payloads retrograde?) is pretty attractive.

[CameronD]

Beyond the need to ship your rocket - or set up your manufacturing facility - 'down under', a launch complex able to launch to almost all commercial inclinations (does anyone even fly non-security payloads retrograde?) is pretty attractive.

Hey, we DO actually build stuff down here already you know!! (..we just have a few political, logistical and environmental challenges plus a general overall lack of credibility to overcome, that's all).
 

[Steven Pietrobon]

Gilmour Space achieves successful 110-second mission duty cycle test fire

QUEENSLAND,  13 July  2020 — Australian rocket company Gilmour Space Technologies has achieved one of the longest hybrid rocket engine test firings in the world: a 110-second mission duration burn of its upper stage engine. 

https://www.gspacetech.com/post/gilmour-space-achieves-successful-110-second-mission-duty-cycle-test-fire

[john smith 19]

Gilmour Space achieves successful 110-second mission duty cycle test fire

QUEENSLAND,  13 July  2020 — Australian rocket company Gilmour Space Technologies has achieved one of the longest hybrid rocket engine test firings in the world: a 110-second mission duration burn of its upper stage engine. 

https://www.gspacetech.com/post/gilmour-space-achieves-successful-110-second-mission-duty-cycle-test-fire

That's impressive, but isn't a booster burn normally about 10mins, 6x as long?

On launch costs I've become quite interested in how sounding rockets can improve their dispersions. The DLR SHAFEX II reduced dispersion by 78% by attitude control on the upper stage with gas jets and a SCramjet demo flight improved its chances of success by about the same by varying its upper stage start.

I'm really liking the idea of turning GNC on its head, putting the GNS in a recoverable booster with the US just needing a set of timers on an on board computer. No INS, no TVC provided it can be separated in a well defined state.

[Steven Pietrobon]

That's impressive, but isn't a booster burn normally about 10mins, 6x as long?

This is the small motor for the third stage. They have yet to test the larger motors used on the first and second stage. Here's their launch profile from their website. The first two stages burn for 1 minute and 40 seconds each, there is a coast for five minutes, and then the third stage burn for two minutes (the test burn was 10 seconds shorter).

[Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25]

I wonder what is the ISP of that engine.Probably in the 300 second range.

[john smith 19]

This is the small motor for the third stage. They have yet to test the larger motors used on the first and second stage. Here's their launch profile from their website. The first two stages burn for 1 minute and 40 seconds each, there is a coast for five minutes, and then the third stage burn for two minutes (the test burn was 10 seconds shorter).

Interesting trade.

3 stages and 5 min coast cut total burn time by about 50%. OTOH now you have 2 separation/ignition events instead of one. OTOH (again) hybrids need only one set of valves to open rather than two.

I've often thought LV designers don't make nearly enough use of just coasting to gain altitude before they start the next stage.  They seem eager to just get the next one lit. 

[Steven Pietrobon]

I've often thought LV designers don't make nearly enough use of just coasting to gain altitude before they start the next stage.  They seem eager to just get the next one lit. 

This is because they are trying to limit the number of engines (and thus cost) in the upper stages, so the acceleration is low. There is also a point where adding additional engines decreases performance due to the extra mass not making up for the reduction in gravity losses. Eris must have high acceleration in the first and second stage, similar to solid ICBM type missiles which are then used as launch vehicles.

[TrevorMonty]

Will 1st and 2nd stage engines be hybrids?. Thought they were switching to liquid fuelled engines.

[Steven Pietrobon]

Will 1st and 2nd stage engines be hybrids?. Thought they were switching to liquid fuelled engines.

All the stages are hybrid. The switch was to using LOX as the oxidiser instead of HTP.