Eris liftoff
The first Eris rocket from GIlmour Space Technologies lifts off July 29 (U.S. time) on a short-lived test flight. Credit: GIlmour Space Technologies

WASHINGTON — The first flight of an orbital rocket developed by an Australian company ended seconds after liftoff July 29 when the rocket crashed near its launch pad.

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Jeff Foust writes about space policy, commercial space, and related topics for SpaceNews. He earned a Ph.D. in planetary sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree with honors in geophysics and planetary science...