Gilmour Space Technologies’ Eris rocket lifted off from the company’s Bowen Orbital Spaceport in coastal Queensland at 22:35 UTC on 29 July but crashed back near the pad after about 14 seconds in the air and roughly 23 seconds of engine burn. Tracking data and eyewitness accounts indicate the 25-metre vehicle reached only around 50 metres before veering sideways and impacting the ground; no injuries or major pad damage were reported. The flight was the first orbital launch attempt by an Australian-built rocket and the first from Australian soil in more than half a century, underscoring a renewed push for sovereign access to space. Eris is designed to carry up to 215 kilograms to a 500-kilometre sun-synchronous orbit, giving local and regional customers an alternative to overseas launch providers. Chief Executive Officer Adam Gilmour characterised the short ascent as a data-gathering exercise typical of inaugural flights and said the company has already begun analysing telemetry for its next mission, dubbed TestFlight 2. The Australian Space Agency welcomed the milestone, noting that few rockets succeed on their debut and that lessons from the attempt will feed into future launches.