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Government co-funded spaceport; Valmar contract for transport erector components
Economic impact
$12B
Global space economy estimated at $2.6tn by 2035. Australian Space Agency target: triple to $12bn/year and create 20,000 additional jobs by 2030. Queensland potential: $3.5-6bn annually by 2036.
Jobs
20,000
Space · Whitsunday · Updated 6 Feb 2026, 12:00 am
Valmar Engineering is a Greater Whitsunday company established in 2013 with sugar and mining fabrication experience. Since September 2023, Valmar has been fabricating the transport erector and associated components to take the 30-tonne Gilmour Space rocket from horizontal to vertical position for launch at the Bowen Orbital Spaceport.
The Bowen Orbital Spaceport — co-funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments and Gilmour Space Technologies — was granted a launch facility licence in March 2024. It is one of only three dedicated orbital launch sites globally, located near Bowen due to proximity to the equator, low population density, and existing infrastructure including a deep-sea port, long runway, and road/rail network. Over 30,000 satellites globally are awaiting launch, creating a severe bottleneck in launch capacity.
Next step
Secure accreditation and procurement pathways.
Key stakeholders
Gilmour Space Technologies, Australian Space Agency, Valmar Engineering, Queensland Government, Australian Government, SmartSat CRC