Dawn Aerospace’s spaceplane has made its first successful flight with a rocket engine

Dawn Aerospace It aims to build Completely and quickly reusable spaceplane. Last month, the company passed an important milestone in the development of its device called MK II Aurora. The latter actually succeeded in flying for the first time using its own rocket engine.

According to a press release from Dawn Aerospace on April 5, the Mk-II Aurora, which has a height of 4.8 m, I managed to complete 3 trips During the week of March 27, W.C All test objectives were met. Flight tests took place in New Zealand and departed from Glentanner Airport near the South Island.

The Mk-II Aurora began flight tests in August 2021. In that time, the aircraft has made 5 flights with alternate jet engines. However, the company’s plans have always been to use a rocket engine. During the last three flights, the spaceplane has been able to It climbs to a height of 1,830 m and reaches a speed of 315 km/h with its rocket engine.. These are the same results obtained in 2021.

The aim of the latest tests

According to the explanations, it was the main object of recent flight tests Validation of the spaceplane rocket engine. Thus, the altitude reached by the aircraft was not a key parameter. On future flights, the company will try to increase speed and altitude.

The Mk-II Aurora spaceplane was designed to carry Small payloads of about 5 kg in space. It will be able to fly at an altitude of 100 km, and it will be able to do so Twice a day. If all goes as planned, the Mk-II will become the Aurora The first fully reusable satellite launcher.

It is allowed to use regular airports

Among the characteristics of the Dawn Aerospace spaceplane is the fact that The plane uses a conventional airstrip for takeoff and landing. In December 2020, the company has He got permission To fly the plane from a conventional airport along with regular commercial aircraft. This permission has been obtained from New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority It is the New Zealand agency responsible for aviation safety and security.

Normally, airports wait for missiles to exit the atmosphere before taking off or landing planes. Sometimes commercial flights make a detour to avoid potential debris. Regarding the Mk-II Aurora, the team responsible for its development indicated That this is an exception since it was Designed to use an ordinary airstrip, such as an airplane. So it does not need any special restrictions or custom paths.

Dawn Aerospace continues its plans to use its spaceplane 100 to 1000 times. It is also known that by the end of 2022 the company has already received an amount of about 12 million euros for the development of the successor to the Mk-II Aurora. The new device will be able to run 250 kg payload in orbit.

source: Space.com