Southern Launch has won a $25 million funding round led by an Australian national security investment firm, Brindabella and Company, and the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC).
The Series A funding will aid in scaling Southern Launch's spaceport infrastructure, grow its workforce and accelerate launch, re-entry, and range services.
The raise has included a $10 million investment from the NRFC, Australia's sovereign investor in manufacturing capability. Other investors include former Macquarie Group CEO and CFO Nicholas Moore and Alex Harvey, and Coupland Asset Management.
"This raise is a major milestone for Southern Launch and a strong vote of confidence in Australia's sovereign space capability. With the backing of world-class investors and the Australian Federal Government through the NRFC, we are scaling infrastructure and capabilities to position Australia as a global leader in launch and re-entry, while unlocking new economic opportunities in low-Earth orbit and beyond," Southern Launch CEO, Lloyd Damp, said.
Since conducting Australia's first commercial rocket launch in 2020, Southern Launch has built infrastructure and vertically integrated processes for orbital and suborbital launch, hypersonic flight, re-entries from space, and range services for advanced system testing.
In February 2025, Southern Launch facilitated, the company claims, the world's first commercial spacecraft re-entry at the Koonibba Test Range and has completed a further three re-entries, the latest landing back on Earth in May 2026. The company also supported NASA's Artemis II lunar mission earlier this year.
“Southern Launch is a globally unique business supporting orbital & sub-orbital launch, range testing services for terrestrial & maritime UAS & C-UAS, hypersonic testing, in addition to the burgeoning microgravity drug discovery industry,” Brindabella & Company CEO, Anthony Wilson, stated.
“Southern Launch is well positioned to help Australia become a global centre in the rapidly growing trillion-dollar space economy.”
Southern Launch’s capabilities span launching rockets, testing aerospace technologies and bringing spacecraft safely back to Earth. This includes returning materials manufactured in space, such as next-generation pharmaceuticals developed in microgravity, where the unique conditions of space allow for breakthroughs not possible on Earth.
The company's customers include Varda Space Industries and Lux Aeterna from the United States of America, Australia’s Defence Science Technology Group (DSTG) and AtSpace, South Korea’s Perigee Aerospace and Innospace, Canada’s Reaction Dynamics, and the German Space Agency, DLR.
"Southern Launch meets a critical need for rocket launch and re-entry services in the Southern Hemisphere and NRFC investment addresses a global bottleneck in the space industry by securing this sovereign capability for Australia," NRFC CEO, David Gall, highlighted.
The NRFC's investment, alongside the other funding, will help Southern Launch establish a future space manufacturing hub and supply chain businesses in South Australia.
Current spaceports include the Koonibba Test Range, developed in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation and the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex, both located in South Australia.
Southern Launch has a principles-led approach to First Nations economic participation and care for country. The company collaborates with Koonibba Traditional Owners including through cultural monitoring of launch and re-entry activities, and Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation is a Southern Launch shareholder.
“Southern Launch meets a critical need for rocket launch and re-entry services in the Southern Hemisphere and NRFC investment addresses a global bottleneck in the space industry by securing this sovereign capability for Australia," NRFC CIO, Mary Manning, said.
“Southern Launch’s ability to design, develop, and service spaceport infrastructure combined with proprietary launch and returns software represents the sovereign industrial capability needed to test rockets, drones, and other national security technology. The company is also enabling the global economy’s expansion into low Earth orbit with the return of in-space manufacturing capsules to South Australia.”
The NRFC’s $10 million direct equity investment as part of the $25 million total raise led by Brindabella, is subject to various customary conditions, including receipt of shareholder approvals and a notification waiver from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).