A New Zealand company flew back-to-back flights in a rocket-powered drone it hopes will be the vanguard of routine access to space. Dawn Aerospace’s Mk-II Aurora flew two sorties to 63,000 feet and Mach .95 on Sept. 27 to demonstrate the quick turnaround of the aircraft. “Rapid reusability has been termed the ‘holy grail’ for rocket-powered systems,” said Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace. “This milestone shows that our fundamental concept will unlock never-before-seen performance and hypersonic flight in a platform suitable for everyday operations, not just one-off research and development.”
The two flights, the airframe’s seventh and eighth, were a dress rehearsal for an operational life of taking off from a runway and climbing to the edge of space at about 60 miles (100 km) in altitude twice a day. New Zealand has certified the Aurora as an airplane rather than as a rocket, and that means it doesn’t require airspace closures to operate. The flight tests are being done at Glentanner Aerodrome on the South Island. “Our licence permits us to fly as often as the vehicle allows. At present, we can fly every four hours with scope to reduce turnaround time further,” said Powell. Dawn has already lined up customers to take payloads to the edge of space.
A typo in original version of this story listed the incorrect speed of the Aurora on these test flights.
