July 29 (UPI) -- Australian aerospace company Gilmour Space on Wednesday launched its Eris 1 rocket, which crashed shortly after taking off.
The test flight of the rocket, which was intended to be the country's first to reach orbit in 50 years, follows multiple delays caused by weather conditions and technical setbacks. While the rocket launch fell well short of its goal, the company's leader still called the test a success.
"Got off the Pad , I am happy," Adam Gilmour, the company's CEO said in a social media post. "Of course I would have liked more flight time but happy with this."
A video of the launch posted online shows the rocket rising from a cloud of exhaust and remaining in the sky for a matter of seconds before it lost momentum and dropped back down.
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