Southern Launch, a company based in Adelaide, South Australia, announced today that it will build an orbital launch facility at Whalers Way on the Southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula.
The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex will support the launch of small-lift vehicles into polar and sun-synchronous orbits, with construction to commence in 2019.
Said Southern Launch Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Damp, “I honestly believe that South Australia has the ingredients to drive advancements in the space industry on the world stage. Now we need to identify the strengths in each other and work together to leverage them”, Damp said.
“Southern Launch is making a critical contribution to South Australia’s space ecosystem that already consists of more than 70 companies, research organisations, universities and schools”, said South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall.
“This venture will serve a growing global demand for polar launch facilities, and further positions South Australia as a prominent player in the space industry nationally and internationally,” he added.
Another company, Equatorial Launch Australia, is planning to build and operate a launch site in the north, near Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory. Known as The Arnhem Space Centre, it will support suborbital and orbital launches – the exact location of the launch site has not yet been finalized.
