Dawn Aerospace Achieves Successful Mk-II Aurora Spaceplane Rocket Engine Test

Dawn Aerospace has successfully completed a full-duration (112 seconds), bi-propellant test of the Mk-II Aurora spaceplane's rocket engine at Dawn Aerospace's state-of-the-art test facility located in Christchurch, New Zealand.   WATCH FULL TEST

The Mk-II Aurora, serving as a subscale technology demonstrator for the Mk-III, represents Dawn Aerospace's ambitious two-stage-to-orbit solution for scalable and sustainable space access.

The recent milestone follows the completion of 50 test flights by the Mk-II Aurora, with 47 utilizing jet engines and the remaining three under rocket power in March 2023.

Dawn's propulsion team, in anticipation of the next phase of flight tests, has diligently worked on enhancements geared towards propelling the vehicle to supersonic speeds and altitudes exceeding 20 kilometers in early 2024.

This upcoming set of tests aims to conclude the comprehensive test campaign of the Mk-IIA.

The rocket engine powering the Mk-II Aurora distinguishes itself by employing High Test Peroxide (HTP) and kerosene as propellants, as opposed to the more conventional use of liquid oxygen. This choice is strategic, considering the storability and deep throttling capabilities of HTP and kerosene, pivotal factors as Dawn Aerospace aspires to establish a global fleet of spaceplanes with aircraft-like operations.

"While HTP is the right long-term choice for the spaceplane, it led to some interesting challenges in the development of the engine. The available information is extremely limited and is often outdated or walled off. That makes this achievement even more special. It is exciting to see everything come together and work flawlessly." - Ralph Huijsman, Lead Propulsion Engineer at Dawn Aerospace

"The team has put in significant work to reach this milestone. We're excited about our future flights where we’ll fly MUCH higher and faster than ever before." - Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace

Looking ahead, the development roadmap for the Mk-IIA includes testing critical aspects of operating the vehicle, such as high-altitude operations and BVLOS flights (beyond visual line of sight). The subsequent iteration, the Mk-IIB, will integrate the lessons learned from the Mk-IIA to create an optimized vehicle capable of flights to 100 kilometers.

Notably, the Mk-IIB is poised to achieve the distinction of being the first vehicle to fly to space twice in a single day, showcasing its unique capabilities with applications in atmospheric, microgravity, and high-speed flight research, as well as Earth observation.