Australia on track to launch its first civilian orbital rocket in a matter of weeks

The Australian government is expected to approve the country’s first private orbital rocket launch within weeks, joining a handful of spacefaring nations that have done the same.

Gilmore Space Technologies, the company behind the new rocket, announced this week that it has received approval from the Australian Space Agency (ASA) to operate the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in North Queensland, Australia. The company has also set a goal of having an astronaut launched from Australia into orbit by the end of this decade.