Southern Launch has been granted all approvals for the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex located on the tip of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia — work on permanent facilities will start in earnest with the first launches from the site scheduled for late 2025.
The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex can accommodate direct ascent trajectories from 55 to 177 degrees including polar, sun-synchronous orbits and 135-degree (equivalent to 45 degree) inclination making it one of the most versatile launch sites globally. Under the approval, the complex will have two launch pads along with associated infrastructure such as vehicle assembly buildings, clean rooms and integration facilities. Approvals have been granted initially for as many as 42 launches per year.
The final approvals that have been granted encompass all environmental approvals required to use the site under Australian legislation. This means rocket companies do not need to undertake any environmental assessments to use the site and the onus is on Southern Launch to ensure launch activities meet environmental guidelines.
The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex is equipped with ancillary tracking and telemetry sites to ensure vehicles can be observed from launch through to payload separation. The site can also accommodate hypersonic flight testing with land-based tracking systems.
The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex complements the sub-orbital Koonibba Test Range which is also operated by Southern Launch. In addition to sub orbital launches. The Koonibba Test Range is emerging as the global location to return space technology from orbit with multiple return missions planned for 2025. The two world-class spaceports are within 400 km of each other.
Final plans for the permanent facilities will be completed soon, with the first launch from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex scheduled for late 2025.
Southern Launch CEO, Lloyd Damp, said,”Access to space is critical for humanity with many existing launch sites operating near capacity. The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex enables rapid access to orbit thanks to our good year-round weather and low sea and air traffic. In addition to this, Southern Launch also secures all required approvals under Australian legislation further removing any obstacles to orbit for space companies.
“Our approach to business is to provide customized services to our customers to ensure they meet their mission goals,” Lloyd said. “Our experienced team takes care of all required approvals and range safety considerations and our launch pads can be customized to meet different mission requirements, or even reserved for a dedicated customer needing regular launch cadence.
“We have designed the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex with versatility in mind. We understand that access to space is not one size fits all. The complex has been developed in a location that enables different launch trajectories and azimuths so space technology companies can get to where they need to be.”
About Southern Launch
Southern Launch is a launch and range service provider, headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia. Southern Launch operates the Koonibba Test Range and Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex. The Koonibba Test Range is one of the largest commercial rocket testing facilities in the world. The range is used to launch sub-orbital missions and accept re-entries of space technology. The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia supports high-cadence orbital launches into the highly sought after polar and sun synchronous orbits. Southern Launch expands space exploration from the Southern Hemisphere with end-to-end launch services for every space mission.