Dawn Aerospace breaks sound barrier, hypersonic global records

On Nov. 12, Dawn Aerospace (ChristChurch, New Zealand), operating as Dawn Hypersonics, surpassed the speed of sound for the first time with its Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered aircraft, reaching Mach 1.1 and climbing to an altitude of 82,500 feet. This is over twice as high as commercial aircraft and, the company reports, marks the first time a civil aircraft has flown supersonic since Concorde. Aurora’s achievement is making operational hypersonic travel and daily space access a possibility, establishing rocket-powered aircraft as a new class of ultra-high performance vehicles.

The flight, conducted from New Zealand’s Glentanner Aerodrome near the base of Aoraki Mt Cook, exceeded its test target speeds and altitude of Mach 1.05 and 75,000 feet. The Aurora is also said to have set a global record, becoming the fastest aircraft to climb from ground level to 66,000 feet), completing the ascent in just 118.6 seconds. This beats the previous record, held by a highly modified F-15 Streak Eagle in the 1970s, by 4.2 seconds.

“This achievement highlights the potential of rocket-powered aircraft to achieve performance never seen before,” says Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace. “With flight test 57, we retired the final major technical risk in the Aurora program: vehicle dynamics through the transonic regime. We have now confirmed the Aurora as the highest climb rate vehicle ever built.”

The Aurora is designed to fly to the edge of space — a 100-kilometer altitude — twice in a single day, reaching speeds of Mach 3.5 during ascent and re-entry. The Mk-II Aurora is powered by rocket propulsion, making it ideal for applications such as microgravity research, atmospheric science, Earth observation and testing high-speed flight.

“As a company, we have been working for more than seven years to design, develop, test and deliver supersonic flight. We are now achieving this and will start commercial payload operations in the coming months under the Dawn Hypersonics brand,” Powell adds.

Dawn Hypersonics will focus on advancing hypersonic flight, with a strong emphasis on international markets. Key research, development and flight testing will continue in Christchurch, New Zealand.