Jack Loughran Wed 7 Aug 2024
Cpllected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/08/07/rocket-propelled-aircraft-takes-flight-bid-reach-space
A rocket-propelled aircraft developed by New Zealand’s Dawn Aerospace (DA) has completed a series of flights as the company looks to undergo supersonic testing next month.
The Mk-II Aurora suborbital spaceplane was originally unveiled in July 2020 and is capable of flying up to an altitude of more than 100km several times a day. It can also take off and land at standard airports alongside normal aircraft. The aircraft is able to access parts of the Earth’s atmosphere that are too high for regular aircraft or balloons to operate and too low for satellites.
Three flight tests were carried out in late July in which the DA team achieved a maximum speed and altitude of Mach 0.92 (967 km/h) and 50,000ft (15.1km). This represents three times and five times, respectively, what the firm had achieved in its previous efforts. As a point of comparison, most commercial airliners fly anywhere from about 31,000 feet to 42,000 feet.
DA has committed to further flight testing of the Mk-II Aurora and hopes it can demonstrate by the end of 2025 that the aircraft can climb faster than an F-15, fly higher than a MiG 25, and ultimately be the first vehicle to fly above the Kármán line (the 100km altitude generally considered to be where space starts), twice in a single day.
The firm has already spent about $10m on the aircraft but believes it can complete the programme for under $20m in total.
Click on the thumbnails below to expand images of the Mk-II Aurora’s flight.
The team is focused on ensuring the Mk-II Aurora can make use of standard runways and established regulation, with turnaround times you would expect from any other aircraft.
“Beyond the technology itself, it was essential that we certify as an aircraft,” the firm said in a blog post. “This would allow general one-time licensing in nonexclusive airspace, rather than flight-specific licences that need to be obtained for every flight.”
This ethos drove the design standard of the vehicle up and meant the firm included redundancy in critical systems such as avionics, communications and control surfaces.
Stefan Powell, CEO of DA, said: “Regardless of the direction we take, the Mk-II programme gives us an unmatched foundation in technology, methods and team. From that unique position, we are poised to learn, build and fly faster than ever before.”
DA wants to increase the payload capacity of the Mk-III aircraft, which would increase its utility in atmospheric research projects.
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