Dawn aerospace supersonic

[shane]

Hi guys
Interesting achievement made by Dawn aerospace

www.reuters.com/technology/space/dawn-aerospace-rocket-powered-aircraft-successfully-completes-supersonic-flight-2024-11-19/

Dawn Aerospace's rocket-powered aircraft successfully completed its first supersonic flight, the company said in a statement on Tuesday, as it moves forward with developing aircraft able to launch satellites.
It said the Mk-11 Aurora craft surpassed the speed of sound for the first time on Nov. 12, reaching Mach 1.1 and climbing to an altitude of 82,500 feet (25.14 kilometres)
"This is over twice as high as commercial aircraft and marks the first time a civil aircraft has flown supersonic since Concorde," the company said in the statement. The test flight occurred near Mt Cook in New Zealand's South Island.

Shane

[Dave Homewood]

Indeed, very cool what they are doing.

[davidd]

How big is this aircraft? And have there been ten previous models? I presume it is unmanned.

[ErrolC]

Better details here:

aviationweek.com/aerospace/emerging-technologies/dawn-aerospace-aurora-demo-exceeds-mach-1
New Zealand spaceplane developer Dawn Aerospace has flown its Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft supersonically for the first time, marking a key step on the way toward the company’s goal of hypersonic operations and routine access to suborbit.

Powered by a pump-fed, 610-lb.-thrust bipropellant rocket, the 15.8-ft.-long uncrewed Aurora reached Mach 1.1 and an altitude of 82,500 ft. during the flight, which was conducted from Glentanner Aerodrome on New Zealand’s South Island on Nov 12.
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