Reusable, aircraft-like suborbital spaceplane designed for horizontal takeoff and landing, enabling frequent flights to the edge of space for researchers and technology developers.
Aurora Suborbital Spaceplane
Reusable, aircraft-like suborbital spaceplane designed for horizontal takeoff and landing, enabling frequent flights to the edge of space for researchers and technology developers.
Description
Aurora is Dawn Aerospace's reusable suborbital spaceplane program, designed to provide aircraft-like access to the edge of space. Unlike traditional rocket-based suborbital vehicles, Aurora takes off and lands horizontally from a runway, targeting rapid turnaround and the ability to fly multiple missions per day.
The spaceplane is intended to serve researchers, technology developers, and government customers who need frequent, low-cost, low-gravity or near-space access for payload testing, microgravity research, and hypersonic flight test campaigns — complementing traditional expendable sounding rockets with an aircraft-like operational tempo.