The first successful test flight of a fully Australian-designed and manufactured advanced solid rocket motor has taken place at the Koonibba Test Range near Ceduna, South Australia.
The test range is a commercial spaceport operated by Southern Launch, a South Australian industry partner, in partnership with the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.
“This is a significant achievement for Australia’s defence industry and a major step forward in our ability to design, develop and test advanced rocket motor and missile system technologies right here in Australia," Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy, stated.
“It showcases the strength of collaboration between Defence, Australian industry and research organisations in delivering cutting-edge capabilities that support our national security and sovereign industrial resilience.”
This has marked another step towards Australia’s sovereign guided weapons capability, demonstrating the ability of Australian industry to design, manufacture, integrate and test rocket motor technologies relevant to future tactical missile systems.
A key fact about the Koonibba Rising 3.0 solid rocket motor is that it is a 100kg-class solid rocket motor.
Southern Launch and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) have successfully launched the Koonibba Rising Rocket (KRR) from the test range. This is the first launch collaboration between Southern Launch and DSTG.
Named after the Koonibba community, this is the third mission to take place at the Koonibba Test Range and be delivered by Southern Launch in 2026.
“This launch is a defining moment for Southern Launch and a major step forward for Australia’s space and national security capability. Successfully delivering the KRR mission demonstrates the strength of our team, our infrastructure, and our capabilities as a launch service provider," Southern Launch, CEO, Lloyd Damp, highlighted.
“Working alongside DSTG highlights the importance of collaboration between industry and government to accelerate innovation, strengthen national capability, and unlock new opportunities in the aerospace sector.”
Post-flight analysis confirmed the rocket motor performed as designed throughout the test.
The test also successfully demonstrated real-time monitoring of flight vehicle and rocket motor performance data and enabled the recovery of the flight vehicle for inspection and data validation.
“The Koonibba Test Range is built on genuine partnership between our Koonibba community and Southern Launch. Every mission we deliver is grounded in that relationship. We’re proud to be creating long-term opportunities whilst supporting Australia’s space and defence capabilities," Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation, CEO, Corey McLennan, indicated.
This test builds on the successful static firing of the larger-scale Draco solid rocket motor at Woomera in February 2026.
Koonibba Rising 3.0 was developed through the Advanced Rocket Motor Technology Demonstrator Program (ARMTD), a partnership of five-plus years between DSTG and Thales Australia. Thales is the ARMTD engineering manager and industry leadership partner.
The program brings together a network of Australian industry partners involved in component design and manufacturing.
The KR3.0 solid rocket motor used in the flight test was co-developed with and manufactured by the industry small and medium enterprise network, which Thales leads, including propellant and igniter development by Thales, backed by the company's nearly $10 million co-investment in the infrastructure and workforce that supported the program.
The KRR vehicle flew as designed, successfully validating the DSTG-Thales led ARMTD Program-delivered K-R rocket motor in flight.
The mission achieved a full-duration motor burn and captured critical in-flight telemetry, while also confirming the performance of Southern Launch’s in-house developed flight vehicle structures and avionics systems.
“This achievement belongs to an army of scientists, engineers, officials, small and medium enterprises, defence leaders and our industrial workforce. It is about an enduring commitment to securing the nation and providing deterrence that keeps us all safe," Thales Australia and New Zealand, CEO, Jeff Connolly, affirmed.
“Thales Australia, as the sovereign steward of the defence industrial base, and with an ongoing commitment to serve the national interest, is committed to working with our defence, research and industry partners, to build this and other critical industrial and defence capabilities.”
This achievement has demonstrated a viable pathway for the domestic development, manufacture, testing and evaluation of future rocket motors.
“South Australia continues to lead the nation in the development and testing of sovereign space and defence capabilities," South Australian Minister for Defence and Space industries, Chris Picton, stated.
“This successful launch demonstrates the value of collaboration between industry and government, bringing together Southern Launch and DSTG to advance critical Australian rocket technologies.”
According to Thales, further collaborative work is already underway.