Recent Activity
Site preparation continued through 2025; orbital licensing process ongoing alongside environmental-impact review
Investor Brief
Complements Bowen and Arnhem by offering southerly polar/SSO trajectories — completes Australian range coverage for all major orbital inclinations.
Ownership
Parent Entity
Regulatory Regime
Anchor Tenants
Latitude Advantage
Launch Azimuth Range
Country
🇦🇺Australia
Region
Oceania
Established
2,020
Launches / Year
2
Years Active
6
Strategic Position
-34.8900° S, 135.5400° E
Azimuth: Approximately 160°–200° (southerly over Southern Ocean)
34.9°S — clean southern trajectories ideal for polar/SSO over uninhabited Southern Ocean
Future Milestones
- 2026
Targeted first orbital launch attempt from Whaler's Way
- 2027
Multi-tenant pad expansion subject to planning approval
About
Whaler's Way Orbital Launch Complex on the Eyre Peninsula is Southern Launch's southern-trajectory commercial spaceport, licensed for polar and sun-synchronous orbital missions over the Southern Ocean. Two TiSPACE Hapith-I suborbital test campaigns were attempted in 2022 (both failed shortly after liftoff). The site has faced sustained planning-permission challenges from environmental groups citing impact on coastal heritage and wildlife. Orbital licensing and operations are targeted from 2026 onwards.
Key Features
Coastal South Australian site licensed for southerly polar/SSO trajectories
Operated by Southern Launch under Australian Space Agency licence
Two Hapith-I suborbital test campaigns conducted in 2022 (both failed)
Ongoing environmental and planning-permission contention
Target orbital launches from 2026 onwards
Rockets That Launch Here
Companies Operating Here
Orbit Types
Notable Launches
TiSPACE Hapith-I suborbital test attempts (Sep 2022) — both failed shortly after ignition / pad
First Australian Space Agency commercial launch facility licence issued to a private operator for orbital ops