Dawn Aerospace successfully completes its first rocket powered flight of spaceplane, the Mk-II Aurora. The flights occurred at Glentanner Aerodrome near Aoraki Mount Cook. Video / Dawn Aerospace
Dawn Aerospace has announced the first successful rocket-powered flights of its spaceplane, the Mk-II Aurora.
The satellite launch company, with operations in New Zealand, the Netherlands and the United States, says the move from surrogate jet engines to rocket power in its demonstrator craft was an important milestone.
The flightswere operated from Glentanner Aerodrome, about 5km from Aoraki Mt Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain.
The Mk-II Aurora is designed for aircraft-like operation, and is capable of flying multiple times a day. Unlike traditional rockets, Dawn vehicles take off and land horizontally on a runway and do not require a dedicated launch pad.
“These flights were a monumental achievement for Dawn Aerospace, and the result of years of hard work from the team,” said Dawn chief executive Stefan Powell.
After conducting three tests in three days, the company believed the Mk-II was the most rapidly reusable rocket-powered aircraft in operation.
“To have demonstrated rapid reusability in the first tests is proof of our core philosophy, and confirmation that rocket-powered vehicles can be operated just like commercial jet aircraft. This fact allows us to rapidly test now, but in the future it will completely revolutionise the economics of space access.” said Powell.
The flights aimed to validate key systems and capabilities, such as the rocket engine, rather than striving for maximum speed or altitude. Future tests will gradually increase speed and altitude in a “build up” approach.
During commercial operations, with a target of starting next year, the Mk-II Aurora will fly to an altitude of 100km.
It aims to become the first vehicle capable of such flights twice a day, laying the foundation for a fully and rapidly reusable first-stage booster.
Initial rocket-powered flights reached altitudes and speeds similar to those demonstrated in previous test flights under jet power, approximately 6000 feet (1800m) and 170 knots (314km/h).
When the Mk-II Aurora programme is complete, Dawn Aerospace plans to develop the Mk-III, a two-stage orbital vehicle capable of carrying more than 1 tonne on a suborbital flight or delivering a 250kg satellite to low earth orbit with an expendable second stage.
Stefan Powell says the Mk-II Aurora will be the first craft able to return to orbit many times a day. Photo / Supplied
“The vast majority of our industry’s carbon footprint is created in the manufacturing of rockets, not the fuel efficiency. Our orbital vehicle, Mk-III, is designed to be 96 per cent reusable,” said Powell.
“This is key to delivering on our vision of a sustainable and future-proof space industry.”
The firm has more than 15 customers in Europe, Asia and the US that have hardware on 11 operational satellites.
He told staff the company still had a long way to go before it had the performance to get to space twice in a day, “but we have strong conviction that we are on the right track.”
Late last year the company announced it had raised $20 million from investors in its latest fundraising round.
Icehouse Ventures has invested about $10m, one of its largest-ever investments in a New Zealand company, and Dawn also attracted support from GD1 and Movac.
The six-year-old company also got $650,000 in government funding.
