Spaceplane set to break record

By Dean Murray via SWNS

A spaceplane is set to become the fastest to take off from a runway.

Dawn Aerospace has announced their rocket-powered Mk-II Aurora craft completed its latest flight test campaign in late July.

The Aurora is a hybrid of runway-using plane and first-stage rocket, which developers plan to be a reusable route into space with a quick flight turnaround.

The vehicle achieved Mach 0.92 (967kph) and 50,000ft (15.1km) in the tests in Christchurch, New Zealand, with plans to fly supersonic in September.

However, the company says the Mk-II is just a taste of what “an aircraft with the performance of a rocket” can do.

They said: "3km/s, Mach 3.5, and 100km altitude were almost arbitrary design requirements we can adapt to meet specific market needs."

Dawn Aerospace sees two main development streams for the vehicle: A higher payload capacity booster and as a vehicle optimized for high-speed flight in the atmosphere

Uses could include microgravity atmospheric research, Earth observation, point-to-point transportation and defense applications.

The firm said their goal is to create a vehicle that uses standard runways, established scalable regulation, engines that use storable propellant, can start, stop and throttle at will, and with turnaround times you would expect from any other aircraft.

Stefan Powell, Dawn Aerospace CEO, said: "We are seeing strong commercial traction in both streams across a wide range of users. I expect we will be flying the first payloads to moderate altitudes on the Mk-IIA before the end of this year, and many more with the Mk-IIB in 2025 and 2026. Commercial traction will help inform the next vehicle development decisions.

The company adds: "By the end of 2025, we’re looking to climb faster than an F15, fly higher than a Mig 25, faster than an SR-71, and, ultimately, be the first vehicle to fly above the Karman line; 100km altitude (the generally accepted definition of “space”), twice in a single day. Some of these records have stood for over 50 years."

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