Southern Launch provides bespoke launch and return services in the Southern Hemisphere with end-to-end launch support for our customer's next mission. Southern Launch offers two unique spaceports in South Australia designed to support different launch and return requirements. The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex is one of the only sites in the world that can provide high-cadence launches to polar and sun-synchronous orbits. The Koonibba Test Range is the largest commercial rocket testing facility in the Southern Hemisphere and specialises in suborbital launches and returns from space. We work closely with our customers to find the most cost-effective path to safe, successful, and frequent launch. Southern Launch takes care of all of the details from regulatory approval to logistics, on-range set up and launch support.
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242 Port Rd
Hindmarsh, South Australia 5007, AU
We secured Australia's first-ever series return permit so that Southern Launch could support Varda Space Industries' goal for high cadence returns. The Koonibba Test Range is ready and waiting to welcome W-3 back to Earth!
We are very excited to announce that our third vehicle, W-3, will launch just 15 days after W-2 came back to Earth—a high cadence capability. Watch Transporter-13's launch live from SpaceX: https://lnkd.in/gSP78BHJ
Safe to say this video gave us goosebumps. Relive the excitement of the W-2 mission with the Varda Space Industries and Southern Launch teams and discover how this Australian first is going to change the world. Thank you to our incredible videographer Justin Broughton for capturing every angle and William Godward for his brilliant photography skills. The countdown is on for W-3!
Go behind the scenes and discover how Southern Launch worked with Varda Space Industries and Rocket Lab to achieve a world-first re-entry for the W-2 mission. Thank you to Varda for creating the movie, which documents a historic moment for Australia and the world! Watch the full film on YouTube at the link - https://lnkd.in/grK8h6ds
To achieve a world first it takes an incredible team. On the night of the W-2 re-entry, Southern Launch had teams at four different sites across South Australia to ensure the re-entry was safe and captured from every angle. This took teamwork, world-class technology, and an incredible amount of dedication. 📸 The team that was on the ground in Ceduna working with Varda Space Industries
We are incredibly excited to announce the Varda Space Industries W-2 capsule safely returned to Earth safely at Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range completing a dual-purpose mission with payloads from the United States Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA. This is the first commercial space craft re-entry to Australia and another first for Southern Launch. Thank you to our mission partners Varda Space Industries and Rocket Lab. What a mission! https://lnkd.in/dg3th3jR
In what is a big week for Southern Launch, it was great to present at the South Australian Space Industry Centre Space Townhall and provide an update on everything that is happening. Our COO Rebecca gave the audience an insight into the incredibly exciting W-2 mission. The first sequence necessary for the W-2 to deorbit, reenter and land back on Earth has begun and we can't wait to say G'day to the W-2 once it lands on Australian soil at the Koonibba Test Range.
As the final destination for the W-3 mission, it is exciting to see the W-3 spacecraft heading to Vandenberg Space Force Base ready for launch. Both the W-2 mission (currently on orbit) and the W-3 mission are a collaboration between Southern Launch, Varda Space Industries and Rocket Lab. We can't wait to welcome these spacecraft back to Earth at the Koonibba Test Range and help usher in the next evolution of on-orbit manufacturing!
How did we prepare our third Pioneer spacecraft for Varda Space Industries journey to the launchpad? Check out the packing list below. How to pack a spacecraft: ✅ Wrap it in multi-layer insulation for temperature protection. ✅ Clean and secure the solar arrays for fitting into the launch vehicle. ✅ Lift it onto the custom shipping container with shock absorbers and bolt it down. ✅ Wrap it with desiccant bags to control moisture. ✅ Load it into the container and ship to Vandenberg Space Force Base! 🚀 Learn more: https://bit.ly/41bT6xm
The W-2 Mission sees Varda Space Industries, Rocket Lab and Southern Launch collaborating to bring the W-2 capsule safely back to Earth. Read more about how Rocket Lab's Pioneer spacecraft will guide and position Varda’s capsule for deorbit before touching down at the Koonibba Test Range.
Our second Pioneer spacecraft for Varda Space Industries is successfully operating on orbit! Over the next month, our team will conduct on orbit operations enabling Varda’s hypersonic reentry capsule to conduct orbital processing before we deorbit the spacecraft and return Varda’s capsule. Read more: https://bit.ly/4jjY6r2
Next stop the Koonibba Test Range! We are incredibly proud to play a part in this mission with Varda Space Industries and Rocket Lab. Looking forward to welcoming the W-2 back to Earth in South Australia in the coming weeks.
W-2 has successfully launched and been deployed into sun synchronous orbit. In addition to our own research that aims to expand the capability and capacity of our pharmaceutical hardware, W-2 carries payloads from Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center. You can read more about that here: https://lnkd.in/gcGGizki W-2 will stay in orbit for the next few weeks until its planned reentry into South Australia at the the Koonibba Test Range, operated by Southern Launch. Thank you for the support and to Rocket Lab and SpaceX for your partnership.
If you want an insight into what our 2025 looks like watch this incredible video from Varda Space Industries. We will be welcoming Varda's second mission back to Earth at the Koonibba Test Range in what will be Australia's first ever commercial spacecraft re-entry. WE CAN'T WAIT!
This holiday season, put a smile on your face and watch “science commandos” and Varda engineers Brandon Amat, Kristofer Stone, Larry Chan, and Tracy Vu recover the W-1 capsule after reentry in Utah earlier this year. In "W-1: How to Reenter a Space Capsule and Make History," the Varda team explains the W-1 mission, what it meant to them, and what it was like to go out to the desert to bring history’s first commercial land reentry home to El Segundo. Happy holidays and happy new year from the Varda team! https://lnkd.in/gtBqjcAM