The federal government\u2019s National Reconstruction Fund has tipped $10 million into a $25 Series A for veteran South Australian rocket launchpad startup Southern Launch.<\/p>\n
The raise was led by specialist defence industry merchant bank Brindabella and Company and alongside the NRF includes former Macquarie Group execs Nicholas Moore and Alex Harvey, and Coupland Asset Management.<\/p>\n
Southern Launch previously announced an undisclosed \u201csignificant\u201d raise in March 2025, led by \u201ca syndicate of prominent Australian infrastructure investors\u201d, so it\u2019s likely the Series A includes that raise, topped up by the NRF\u2019s $10m. <\/p>\n
Founded in 2017, the company has two spaceports in South Australia; the Koonibba Test Range, near Ceduna, and the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex near Port Lincoln<\/a>, 680km west of Adelaide, on the Great Australian Bight.<\/p>\n The new funds will go towards upping headcount and accelerating its launch, re-entry, and range services<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alongside pads for orbital<\/a> and suborbital launch<\/a>, and testing facilities for smaller rockets, the company also facilitated the world\u2019s first commercial spacecraft re-entry at the Koonibba Test Range in early 2025. A further three re-entries, including the Varda W-6 capsule in May 2026<\/a> have happened since. The first commercial rocket launch was in 2020.<\/p>\n \tGet the best of Startup Daily straight to your inbox<\/p>\n \n Want to know the latest in startup news? Subscribe to our daily news and analysis coverage on what\u2019s happening to ANZ startups, investors and the broader ecosystem. And best of all, it’s FREE! <\/p>\n By continuing, you agree to our\u00a0Terms & Conditions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n NRF CEO David Gall said: \u201cSouthern Launch meets a critical need for rocket launch and re-entry services in the Southern Hemisphere\u201d, addressing a global bottleneck in the space industry. <\/p>\n South Australia\u2019s space race<\/p>\n CEO Lloyd Damp said the raise is a major milestone for the company.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Adelaide is home to the Australian Space Agency<\/a> (ASA) and South Australian Space Industry Centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n Queensland rocket builder and launchpad scaleup Gilmour Space, which recently appointed former NASA deputy administrator and astronaut\u00a0Pamela Melroy to its board<\/a>, also has a presence in Adelaide. <\/p>\n