Sunburnt Space Completes First Commercial Launch, Recovers Customer Payloads Same Day

Australian startup proves liquid-engine launch, recovery, and full commercial operations in a single mission from Red Sands, White Cliffs

WHITE CLIFFS, NSW, 8 July 2026. Australian launch company Sunburnt Space Co. successfully flew its first commercial mission on Monday 6 July, launching its Mini Meggs rocket from Endeavour Aerospace's Red Sands Launch Site at White Cliffs, NSW, carrying payloads for customers MetaKosmos and Orbit2Orbit.

Payloads deployed cleanly, descended under parachute, and were recovered the same evening, with payload health confirmed remotely with each customer from back at camp. The payloads and flight data are now being returned to customers.

The mission proved Sunburnt Space's full commercial operation end to end: payload integration, launch, flight, recovery, and return of payloads and data to the customer.

"We've been building and flying rockets for years. The question was whether our liquid engine could push a rocket into the sky, and now we know it can," said Brad Younger, Founder of Sunburnt Space. "This flight proved the whole system, from taking a customer's payload in the door to handing back their data. Next flight, we push higher."

The flight reached 17,000 feet against a 20 km target after a fill process issue meant the vehicle flew on a partial propellant tank. The company elected to fly, prioritising proof of the end-to-end system, and confirmed the fix ahead of its next mission. Even at reduced altitude, onboard avionics recorded almost 7 seconds of high-quality microgravity, below 30 milli-g, with a peak acceleration of just 2.6 g, the gentle flight environment sensitive payloads require.

"This Sunburnt launch is a step change for building sovereign and commercial launch capabilities for Australia," said Kiriti Rambhatla of MetaKosmos.

"Sunburnt Space has now successfully flown the first iteration of Parallax, and together we have achieved a number of important firsts. We are proud to have Sunburnt Space as a Lab2Space flight partner and look forward to reviewing the data, learning from the mission, and building toward the next flight campaign," said Bradley Hatton-Jones of Orbit2Orbit.

Sunburnt Space's next mission is targeting late 2026, most likely a two-stage configuration aiming for 25 km, with altitude expansion continuing across the manifest.

The full launch story and onboard footage are available at https://sunburntspace.com.au/articles/we-flew-our-first-commercial-mission-on-mini-meggs

Media Assets Available

• Rocket renders and team photos available for publication with credit.

• Onboard Video Full: https://youtu.be/XAkhQnUxvoY

• Mission Control View: https://youtube.com/shorts/psjkUBqqITs
  

Media Contact
Brad Younger
Founder & CEO, Sunburnt Space Co.

press@sunburntspace.com.au
www.sunburntspace.com.au

About Sunburnt Space Co.
Sunburnt Space is an Australian launch company giving space hardware developers affordable, frequent access to real space conditions. Its Mini Meggs vehicle flies commercial payloads today, with the larger Ginger Meggs planning to extend the envelope to 400 km and beyond. Sunburnt Space. Where Space Begins.