INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Mass is money when it comes to the rocket launch business, and any small savings you can eke out can add up to big savings
Now Australian rocket startup Gilmour Space has received a $3 million grant from the Australian government to help improve rockets in a way
that could add significant savings to the launch process.Gilmour has spent the past seven years launching a hybrid rocket powered by
3D-printed fuel in 2016, working with NASA and developing a commercial use mobile launch platform for flexible, fast launch capabilities
This new award will be used to fund the development of lightweight rocket fuel tanks that are flight-ready and could save as much as 30
percent of the weight of current designs, while saving up to 25 percent off the cost of launch.The project is a collaboration between
Gilmour, the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Teakle Composites
It is supported by $12.5 million in total investment
stresses of space.Gilmour Space and USQ entered into a strategic partnership last year to work together on research and development of
fundamental new rocket technologies, and this project, along with its work on hybrid fuels and other areas of investigation, will culminate
The goal of the company is to reduce the cost of access to space, and changing the cost dynamics of fundamental components of the rocket
system is likely the best way to do that, even if it requires a significant amount of research and funding up front to make that happen.
