"All orbits, all planets" is the vision of start-up company Gilmour Space Technologies but it is a chunk of earth in north west Queensland the company is most interested in at the present.
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The Gold Coast-based company is collaborating with a university and private technology developers as part of Australia's push to reach the stars.
Last week they completed the final stages of testing to precede the launch of its 8.6-metre 1600kg 'One Vision' rocket on the Coast and now the countdown begins to its launch in North West Queensland
The One Vision suborbital rocket is designed to deliver satellite payloads into space, and this first launch is the official trial run before GST commercialises its service in 2020.
Brothers James and Adam Gilmour will lead the convoy that takes the One Vision rocket from GST's headquarters in Pimpama to its launch location 1700km away to an undisclosed location near Boulia, 300km south of Mount Isa.
Weather permitting, the team will push the go button on Sunday July 28.
Adam Gilmour told the North West Star said they would be doing a flight test for a rocket engine they have been doing ground tests for the last 12 months.
"The flight testing is getting close to testing in a real environment and it's an engine we've been working on that we're looking to use for our main orbital rocket as the main first aid booster engine," Mr Gilmour said.
"We are testing out here because it is very remote, because it is a prototype rocket CASA was pretty nervous about where we might go so we have to have to look for a location where as long as it landed in that area people would be safe."
We are testing out here because it is very remote
- Adam Gilmour
Mr Gilmour said the rocket would go up 20 to 30 km in the air depending on how the engine performs and how the wind affects it.
"The technical definition of space is 100km but by the time you get above 25km you are running out of atmosphere," he said.
"We want to make sure the engine works under flight conditions with the G forces and aerodynamic forces and we also have a very complicated mobile launch tower that we have put a lot of work and effort into and we'll test that as well."
Mr Gilmour said the long term goal was to send satellites into space.
"We think there is a huge market," he said.
"In the short term we want to make money from that, eventually we want to send people into space."
READ ALSO: Strange light in North West sky explained
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
