Dawn Aerospace’s Rocket Plane Soars Supersonic

1 day ago Editor

Dawn Aerospace’s Mk-11 Aurora rocket-powered aircraft successfully completed its first supersonic flight, reaching Mach 1.1 and climbing to 82,500 feet, a milestone for civil aviation since the Concorde.

Dawn Aerospace has reached a significant milestone as its rocket-powered aircraft, the Mk-11 Aurora, successfully completed its first supersonic flight on November 12. The aircraft achieved speeds of Mach 1.1 and reached an altitude of 82,500 feet, more than twice the cruising height of commercial aircraft. This marked the first supersonic flight by a civil aircraft since the era of the Concorde. The test flight took place near Mt Cook in New Zealand’s South Island.

With headquarters in both the Netherlands and New Zealand, Dawn Aerospace is at the forefront of developing rocket-powered aircraft capable of launching satellites. Over the past few months, the company has been rigorously testing the Mk-11 Aurora, which recently set a record as the fastest aircraft to climb from ground level to 20 km. According to CEO Stefan Powell, the achievement underlines the potential of rocket-powered technology to deliver unprecedented performance.

The Mk-11 Aurora, designed for repeated space-bound missions, aims to reach speeds of Mach 3.5 during both ascent and re-entry, powered exclusively by rocket propulsion. The aircraft’s unique design allows it to fly to the edge of space and return to flight readiness twice in a single day.