Southern Launch

Southern Launch is an Australian commercial spaceport and launch services company founded in 2019. It operates two launch facilities in South Australia: the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex on the Eyre Peninsula coast, positioned to support polar, sun-synchronous, and retrograde orbital trajectories with unobstructed southern ocean downrange; and the Koonibba Test Range near Ceduna, a sub-orbital range facility that has hosted multiple successful launches including the Varda W-2 re-entry capsule recovery mission in 2024–2025.

Southern Launch provides a comprehensive menu of services designed to support the full flight lifecycle. Orbital launch services enable deployment of small satellites into LEO, SSO, and polar orbits from the Whalers Way complex. Sub-orbital services at Koonibba support sounding rocket science, technology demonstration, and hypersonic research campaigns. Re-entry services leverage the remote South Australian airspace and ground range to support capsule and vehicle recovery operations. Comprehensive range services include range safety, tracking, telemetry, and ground support for customer launch campaigns.

As one of only a handful of commercial spaceports in the Southern Hemisphere, Southern Launch fills a strategic gap for launch operators requiring southward trajectory corridors, re-entry recovery, and suborbital test campaigns without the scheduling constraints of government ranges. The company has hosted international customers and mission partners, positioning Australia as an emerging node in the global small launch ecosystem.