Australia’s first commercial, space-capable rocket has taken off from the Koonibba test range after the first attempt on Tuesday fell flat.

Australia’s first commercial, space-capable rocket has blasted off from the Koonibba test range on South Australia’s far-west coast.

• A rocket has blasted off from the Koonibba Aboriginal community
• It is the first commercial space rocket launch in Australia
• A planned take-off on Tuesday failed

Southern Launch said today’s launch aimed to reach 85 kilometres, which would make it the highest any commercial rocket had reached from Australian soil.
It was the second attempt to launch the 3.4-metre long, 34-kilogram rocket after the first on Tuesday misfired.
A second rocket was successfully fired off about 11:45am.
A recovery effort is underway to locate the rockets and payloads now they have fallen back to Earth.
“We as Australians have achieved something incredible today, because today at Koonibba, Australia took its first small step towards once again being a proud space-capable nation,” Southern Launch chief executive Lloyd Damp said.
“Today Southern Launch demonstrated our ability to launch our first space-capable rocket, and within two hours, launch another rocket.
“This demonstrates our ability to provide a future responsive space access to DEWC Systems and our broader customer base.”
The launch occurred without the 200 Koonibba Aboriginal community members who attended Tuesday’s launch.
The rocket takes off over farmland around Koonibba.(Supplied: DEWC/Sean Jorgensen-Day)
DEWC, a company boasting a “passion” for electronic warfare, has teamed up with Southern Launch to test launching processes.
DEWC is developing satellites that will be capable of helping the Australian Defence Force detect potentially dangerous radar signals from enemy forces.
A small device was deployed to the edge of space during this morning’s launch.
The payload’s purpose is to collect information with its built-in sensors on its journey back to Earth to assist with DEWC’s development of satellite technology.
The information will be collected and incorporated into the company’s software.
The rocket takes off from the Koonibba test range.(Vimeo: Southern Launch)
Federal Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price said the launch forms part of the Royal Australian Air Force’s Plan Jericho advanced sensing program to detect and track challenging targets.
“The rocket is unlike any rocket ever launched in Australia, and is part of what is known as New Space technologies small rockets carrying reduced-sized satellites using commercially available technologies,” she said.
On Tuesday, SA Premier Steven Marshall said the rocket launch was the first commercial one in Australia.
“All of the previous launches have been government launches, so it is a historic time and I think this is really a taste of what’s to come in Australia,” he said.