AURORA SPACEPLANE
SUBORBITAL SPACEPLANE
Aurora is a remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) that provides routine, affordable access to suborbital space.
By combining the performance of a rocket with the reliability and versatility of an aircraft, Aurora makes high-altitude and high-speed flight possible, critical to scientific research and national security.
Aurora Vehicle Overview
M 3.5
1st SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
100 KM
MAX ALTITUDE
100
FLIGHTS IN A YEAR
10 KG
MAX PAYLOAD WEIGHT (22 LBS)
AIRCRAFT-LIKE OPERATIONS
Taking off from conventional runways, the Aurora carries payloads up to 10 kg to the Kármán line, before gliding safely to land.
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Aircraft - Fully reusable and inherently fault- tolerant. For example, if thrust is lost, Aurora can glide home and land safely with your payload intact.
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​Infrastructure - Operates from existing airports and spaceports. All systems are road- transportable, enabling suborbital access from runways closer to you.
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Airspace - Certified as an aircraft, Aurora integrates with air traffic in controlled airspace. This allows for more frequent and versatile flights than rockets.
From Earth to Space Twice A Day
Aurora engine cam at 67,000 ft
VEHICLE
Sub-orbital Spaceplane and Rocket-Powered Aircraft Design Overview
The diagram shown summarizes Aurora’s core aircraft fundamentals from propulsion and flight performance through to payload accommodation and control systems.
Aurora integrates a restartable rocket engine, conventional aerodynamic control surfaces, and an independent reaction control system for attitude control above the atmosphere. A composite airframe supports repeated high-G flight, while onboard data acquisition enables full in-flight monitoring of vehicle and payload performance.
Payloads are housed within a dedicated bay designed for modular integration, with defined mass, volume, and power envelopes.
All systems are optimised for repeatability, rapid turnaround, and routine operations, enabling frequent suborbital flights from conventional runways.
Aurora wing cam over Banks Peninsula, New Zealand
NEXT-GEN AEROSPACE
Building The Highest Performance Aircraft Ever to Go To Space
Dawn’s rocket-powered aircraft are designed to surpass the altitude and speed limits of traditional air-breathing aircraft by not relying on the atmosphere to generate thrust.
These aircraft will be the first to achieve high-cadence and low-cost access to airspace too high for traditional aircraft but too low for satellites, thereby opening up a new frontier in aerospace and research.
Aurora Milestones and World Records
In November 2024, the Aurora spaceplane broke the sound barrier, reaching Mach 1.12 at 82,500 feet.
It set a record for the fastest climb to 20 kilometers (65,600 feet), surpassing a record held by the modified F-15 Streak Eagle set in 1975.
2024
1st SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
118.6s
SPEED RECORD TO 20 KM (66,000 ft)
RESEARCH
Enabling Breakthroughs Missions Across Key Industries
Atmospheric Science: Measure upper-atmosphere composition, climate dynamics, and weather phenomena. Repeatably target specific layers and locations to build more accurate models.
Microgravity Testing & Manufacturing: Access up to 100 seconds of high- quality microgravity for experiments and small-scale manufacturing. Refine experiments with consistent, repeatable microgravity conditions.
Technology Development: Accelerate your hardware development by testing and qualifying systems in a representative flight environment. Reduce program risk through flight heritage and demonstrated airworthiness.
Domain Awareness: Aurora’s payload hatch can
accommodate various multispectral
instruments. Payloads can be pointed
to targets above and below the horizon
for up to 80 seconds.
Recent SDA Payload Customer Mission
PARTNERS
Our Collaborative Network
Dawn Aerospace collaborates with industry leaders to drive advancements in space technology and exploration.
