Rockets will rise again...

On Monday July 29, Gilmour Space Technologies attempted to launch our 'One Vision' suborbital rocket to flight test our proprietary orbital-class hybrid rocket engine and demonstrate our mobile launch capability.

At T-7 seconds to launch, the test rocket suffered an anomaly that resulted in the premature end of this mission.

Initial investigations show that a pressure regulator in the oxidiser tank had failed to maintain required pressure, and this anomaly resulted in some damage to the tank and rocket.

There was no explosion due to the safe nature of hybrid rocket engines, and no observable damage to the engine.

Despite failing to launch, our team successfully tested the mobile launch platform and mission control centre, which had journeyed over 1,800 km to the test site.

The automatic 'load-and-launch' ground support system performed nominally through countdown, and went automatically into safe mode to dilute the oxidiser when the tank was compromised.

With this mobile launch system, we have the capability to launch a light orbital vehicle from anywhere in Australia.

Our team is safe and understandably disappointed not to have completed the mission.

It was a third-party component that failed and we will be following up on the matter with them. In any case, rocket engineering is all about testing, failing, learning and rebuilding.

One Vision was a development and test rocket, and our learnings from here have already informed many of the design features in our next vehicle.

Gilmour Space will now look to launch an enhanced version of this suborbital rocket in the near future, and test more of the technologies we will require for our orbital launches.

We would appreciate your continued support as we work to build a safe and reliable road to space for the next generation of small satellites in Low Earth Orbit.

To our team who worked tirelessly on One Vision, please know that James and I are proud of the amazing work you have done so far, and we look forward to achieving more and greater things together.

Gilmour Space Technologies

In January of this year, I had to have a crown on one of my teeth. My health insurance included dental cover, so I got some of the cost back from my fund. Then in March I renewed my membership for another year. Last week I went back to my dentist for the first time since January, just for a routine check-up, but this time my health fund refused to pay me a cent.

The "reason" was that although my yearly subscription covered the period from one March to the next, the fund deemed my membership year to run from 1st January to 31st December. No, they had never thought to tell me this. And as far as they were concerned, I had used up all my dental cover for this year in January, which I had assumed would be in last year's membership.

I found this explanation to be, um, unsatisfactory, and complained to the health insurance ombudsman. I received a namby-pamby reply that all health funds do this -- it's just part of their rules. Then I received a reply from my health fund smoothly telling me the same thing. I bluntly demanded a rebate on my membership for this year, to bring my subscription renewal date back to 1st January.

To its credit, the fund agreed. My fund and I will now be in accord on this most basic matter. I can only suggest that every Australian with private health insurance do what I have done.