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Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex is a commercial spaceport and rocket-launching facility operated by Southern Launch in the locality of Sleaford, near Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia.

History

Southern Launch established its headquarters in Adelaide in 2018, before the city was announced as home for the Australian Space Agency. Its offices are located in Pirie Street.

The launchpad at Whalers Way was publicly announced in December 2018, with Southern Launch leading the project. The project was declared a major development by the state of South Australia on 22 August 2019, and on 23 October 2019 Southern Launch made a joint announcement with Perigee Aerospace of South Korea about the launch of the "Blue Whale 1" rocket from the Whalers Way facility.

The facility was officially approved by the Australian Space Agency on 14 July 2021, intended for use to launch commercial satellites.

Southern Launch planned to build two launch pads for orbital launches to polar and Sun-synchronous orbits. Pad 1 was expected to host up to three test launches by the end of 2021.

Launches

When fully operational, it is anticipated that around 25 launches a year will take place at Whalers Way.

Perigee Aerospace became the first customer with a planned launch of its rocket "Blue Whale 1" in July 2020. However, this had not been launched by late August.

On 16 September 2021, 06:39 UTC the Taiwanese TiSPACE company's Hapith I rocket (flight VS01) launched from Whalers Way Pad 1 on a suborbital test flight, after two aborted launches. This was the maiden flight of Hapith I and first of three test launches from Pad 1 at Whalers Way. The flight suffered a launch failure at ignition, causing the rocket to catch fire. The intended apogee of the flight was 250 km (160 mi), and as payload the rocket carried an ionosphere scintillation package for the Taiwanese National Space Organization, for the purpose of ionospheric scintillation research.

Two more test launches of the vehicle, conducted by ATSpace under the Kestrel I name, are scheduled for late 2022.

Environmental concerns

Concerns have been raised by environmentalists from the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia (NCSSA) and traditional owners the Nauo people , as threatened species such as the southern emu wren and white-bellied whipbird inhabit the area, which could be affected by the noise, and there are places of cultural significance to the Nauo people. Environmental impact assessments were being undertaken as of May 2021, with plans to modify the site and implement mitigation strategies should problems be found. Southern Launch has committed to protecting nature and managing tourism activities to ensure that the environment will be preserved.

Protests took place at the site ahead of the first scheduled launch on 9 September 2021, after whales were reported swimming in Fishery Bay, east of the maritime exclusion zone, and police attended. Whales were later confirmed 30km away in Boston Bay, and none observed in Fishery Bay. Local residents and conservationists, including the Nature Conservation Society, Wilderness Society, Conservation Council of South Australia, the National Trust of Australia (SA), Birds SA and Trees for Life have been calling for an independent review. An ecologist from the University of Adelaide and the NCSSA are concerned that the extensive clearing (23.76 ha (58.7 acres) of vegetation) and construction work involved in expanding the facility could cause the southern emu wren to become extinct. Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said he was aware of the issues, and they were in the process of working out a better location for launch site A. The expansion plans are under review by the Government of South Australia's PlanSA, as well as the Commonwealth Government for compliance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Public consultation that closed in September showed strong support from the surrounding communities of Port Lincoln and Tulka, the results of which are yet to be released as of 27 September 2021.

In early October, a rare square-tailed kite was photographed at the site, but it is thought likely that it was a chick from a nest a long distance away. The last time one was spotted on the Eyre Peninsula was in 2004.

See also

• Koonibba Test Range, South Australia

References

1. "Koonibba world's first indigenous community to host biggest private rocket range launch, on far west Eyre Peninsula". AdelaideAZ. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
2. "Contact Us". Southern Launch. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
3. Plouffe, Jim (4 December 2018). "Australia's first commercial orbital launch facility to be built in South Australia". The Lead South Australia. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
4. "Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex". Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
   "Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex (43)" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 25 August 2019. p. 3132. Retrieved 23 January 2020 – via SA.gov.au.
5. Jim, Plouffe (30 September 2019). "South Korean rocket startup to launch from South Australia". The LEAD. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
6. Caleb, Henry (23 October 2019). "Backed by Samsung, South Korean startup Perigee aims for 2020 maiden launch". Space News. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
7. ^ "Whalers Way to Reach the Stars". Southern Launch. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
8. "Rocket Launcher to be built on Eyre Peninsula - Regional Development Australia Whyalla & Eyre Peninsula". Regional Development Australia Whyalla & Eyre Peninsula. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
9. "SA rocket launchpads move a stage closer". InDaily. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
10. ^ Kurmelovs, Royce (27 September 2021). "Conservationists say rocket launch site could push endangered southern emu-wren to extinction". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
11. "Southern Launch signs first client for orbital launch facility". South Australian Space Industry Centre. Government of South Australia. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
12. Henry, Caleb (23 October 2019). "Backed by Samsung, South Korean startup Perigee aims for 2020 maiden launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
13. Spence, Andrew (25 August 2020). "Date set for SA rocket launch as NewSpace prepares for lift-off". InDaily. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
14. @SouthernLaunch (16 September 2021). "LAUNCH UPDATE
    At 4:09pm (ACST) @SouthernLaunch & TiSPACE attempted to launch the Hapith I. During ignition, the vehicle suffered an internal fault causing it catch alight. The fire was contained to the pad and attended to by the CFS. No people or the environment were at risk" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via Twitter.
15. "Third time unlucky for SA rocket launch". AAP. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
16. "VS01 Mission Overview" (PDF). Southern Launch. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021 – via Squarespace.
17. ^ "Whalers Way to Reach the Stars". Southern Launch. 14 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
18. "Eyre Peninsula rocket launch delayed again". InDaily. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
19. Leckie, Evelyn; Pestrin, Stacey (16 September 2021). "Rocket catches fire during latest lift-off attempt at Whalers Way launch site on Eyre Peninsula". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
20. "首支國造火箭飛鼠一號預計13日台東發射". TiSPACE (Press release) (in Chinese). 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
21. "Missions 科學任務 [Scientific Missions]". National Central University. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
22. Tran, Vi (2 August 2022). "Southern Launch and ATSpace to launch two test rockets". Space Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
23. Leckie, Evelyn (28 May 2021). "Rocket launching proposals worry traditional owners, environmentalists, but company committed to holistic care of the land". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
24. Leckie, Evelyn; Hamilton, Jodie (10 September 2021). "Protesters and security guards clash ahead of failed rocket launch at Whalers Way". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
25. Richards, Stephanie (10 September 2021). "SA rocket launch amid calls for conservation site review". InDaily. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
26. Stark, Micaela (30 August 2021). "Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp receives standing ovation at Port Lincoln community meeting". The Port Lincoln News. The Advertiser. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
27. Hamilton, Jodie; Pedler, Emma; Leckie, Evelyn (9 October 2021). "Rare raptor photographed at rocket test site in Eyre Peninsula". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 October 2021.

• Rocket launch sites in Australia
• Eyre Peninsula