{"id":15481,"date":"2024-08-13T15:25:06","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T15:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1409310"},"modified":"2024-08-13T15:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T15:25:06","slug":"dawn-aerospace-is-proving-that-spaceplanes-arent-rocket-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15481","title":{"rendered":"Dawn Aerospace is proving that spaceplanes aren\u2019t rocket science"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span>Dawn Aerospace is a small <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/startups\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">startup<\/a> with big ambitions: to build the first vehicle <\/span><span>to fly over 100 km above the Earth \u2014 twice in one day. <\/span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A couple of weeks back, the budding company \u2014 headquartered in the Netherlands and New Zealand \u2014 took a major step toward that goal. Its reusable, rocket-powered Mk-II Aurora aircraft reached speeds of <\/span><span>Mach 0.92 (967 km\/h) at altitudes over 15km.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While far from its eventual target, that is three times the speed and five times the height of its previous test, conducted last year. The startup has more flights scheduled for September, where it plans to blast past Mach 1 \u2014 the speed of sound. And it\u2019s not stopping there.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Dawn Aerospace, Mk-II Aurora, Flight 53 to Mach 0.9, 50,000ft.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcdoc=\"\n\n<style>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{background:#000;height:100%}img{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;transition:opacity .1s cubic-bezier(0.4,0,1,1)}a:hover img+img{opacity:1!important}<\/style>\n<p><a href='https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S0sJZbVcdRw?feature=oembed&amp;autoplay=1&amp;mute=1&amp;modestbranding=1&amp;iv_load_policy=3&amp;theme=light&amp;playsinline=1'><img src='https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/S0sJZbVcdRw\/hqdefault.jpg'><img src='https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cyberdelia\/assets\/img\/ytplaybtn.png' style='top: 50%;left:50%;width:68px;height:48px;transform:translate3d(-50%,-50%,0)'><img src='https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cyberdelia\/assets\/img\/ytplaybtn-hover.png' style='top: 50%;left:50%;width:68px;height:48px;opacity:0;transform:translate3d(-50%,-50%,0)'><\/a>&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; allow=&#8221;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&#8221; referrerpolicy=&#8221;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&#8221; allowfullscreen>[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\" readability=\"0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/conference\/tickets?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=display&amp;utm_campaign=global_tnw_media_event-registration_retargeting_launch_2025-tnw-conference-amsterdam_TNW\" data-event-category=\"Article\" data-event-action=\"In Article Block\" data-event-label=\"TNW Conference 2025 - Back to NDSM on June 19-20, 2025 - Save the date!\" target=\"_blank\" readability=\"7\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">TNW Conference 2025 &#8211; Back to NDSM on June 19-20, 2025 &#8211; Save the date!<\/p>\n<p>As we wrapped up our incredible 2024 edition, we&#8217;re pleased to announce our return to Amsterdam NDSM in 2025. Registration now!<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>By the end of 2025, Dawn wants its remote-controlled sub-orbital aircraft to climb faster than an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>F-15<\/span><\/a><span> fighter jet, fly higher than a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>MiG-25<\/span><\/a><span> supersonic <\/span><span>reconnaissance plane<\/span><span> (38km), and travel faster than an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalmuseum.af.mil\/Visit\/Museum-Exhibits\/Fact-Sheets\/Display\/Article\/198054\/lockheed-sr-71a\/#:~:text=On%20July%2028%2C%201976%2C%20an,the%20aircraft%20on%20display%2C%20Maj.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>SR-71 Blackbird<\/span><\/a><span> (<\/span><span>3,540 km\/h).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cU<\/span><span>ltimately, [we want] to be the first vehicle to fly above the K\u00e1rm\u00e1n line \u2014 100km altitude (the generally accepted definition of \u2018space\u2019), twice in a single day,\u201d wrote Stefan Powell, one of Dawn\u2019s founders, in a blog post. \u201cSome of these records have stood for over 50 years.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dawn wants to enable cheaper, quicker access to space for orbital and hypersonic research, Earth observation, and transporting payloads above the Karman line. It plans to do this using a little suborbital aircraft and a relatively modest pot of private equity. The startup has spent just $10mn on the flight programme to date, and looks to complete it using just $20mn \u2014 pennies for an aerospace company.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>An aircraft with the performance of a rocket<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>Planes have flown past the Karman line only a couple of times in history. The most notable was in 1963, when American <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/reference\/x-15\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>Joseph Walker flew a rocket-powered X-15<\/span><\/a><span> to an altitude of 106km \u2014 and returned.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All other vehicles to fly that high have been rockets or spaceplanes. Spaceplanes are vehicles that can take off and land on runways, and fly in both the Earth\u2019s atmosphere and in space.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Spaceplanes could prove a more cost-effective way to access space than rockets because they can be reused time and time again, just like a plane, but also fly beyond our atmosphere. A best of both worlds \u2014 at least in theory.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The first operational spaceplane, NASA\u2019s space shuttle, entered service in 1981 but proved too costly, and not as reusable as first anticipated. Virgin Galactic\u2019s SpaceShipTwo, a suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism, came to a more dramatic end. In 2014, the plane broke up during its first crewed flight and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/everything-we-know-about-the-virgin-galactic-spaceshiptwo-crash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span>crashed into the Mojave desert<\/span><\/a><span>, killing the pilot.&nbsp; <\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409316 size-full js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/08\/spaceshiptwo-virgin-galactic.jpeg\" alt=\"an image of a range rover towing the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"><figcaption>Despite the tragic crash in 2014, Virgin Galactic built another SpaceShipTwo \u2013 officially christened VSS Unity \u2013 pictured here at a reveal and naming ceremony at their Mojave Air and Space Port base in California, USA. The plane was decommissioned in 2024. It never reached the Karman line.&nbsp; Credit: Nick Dimbleby\/Jaguar Land Rover<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409316 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/08\/spaceshiptwo-virgin-galactic.jpeg\" alt=\"an image of a range rover towing the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Unity. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>To date, there have been hundreds of spaceplane concepts but nothing commercially viable. This is largely because most spaceplanes have been designed to take off and land like an aircraft but with all the associated costs and long development cycles of a rocket.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dawn wants to flip the status quo on its head by<\/span><span> building an aircraft with the performance of a rocket, but without the exorbitant costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Lean, mean R&amp;D<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span>rKiwi Stefan Powell and his brother James founded Dawn Aerospace in 2016 alongside Dutchman Jeroen Wink, and the two Germans Tobias Knop and Robert Werner. All of them, except for James, were rocket experts. But they decided to build a plane anyway.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt was 2017. We could see <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/topic\/spacex\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SpaceX<\/a> making fantastic progress retrofitting reusability into the first stage Falcon 9. But we didn\u2019t want to follow that same path because of the extreme capital cost and lack of market opportunity until full performance is reached,\u201d wrote Powell. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have the deep pockets of Elon or our American VC-funded counterparts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409314 size-full js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/08\/dawn-aerospace-crew.jpg\" alt=\"dawn aerospace team photo\" width=\"1640\" height=\"980\"><figcaption>Glentanner Aerodrome, New Zealand: members of the 130-strong Dawn Aerospace team pose next to the Mk-II Aurora aircraft following a successful test flight on July 25 2024. Credit: Dawn Aerospace<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1409314 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/08\/dawn-aerospace-crew.jpg\" alt=\"dawn aerospace team photo\" width=\"1640\" height=\"980\"><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><span>Dawn will certify the Mk-II Aurora as a plane, not a rocket. This means they require a one-time licence to operate in nonexclusive airspace, rather than flight-specific licences that need to be obtained for every flight. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Flying as an aircraft also allows the startup to fail fast and build quickly. In this way, the company can take many small risks in quick succession, rather than all at once \u2014 contrary to the likes of SpaceX.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dawn says it has gained strong commercial traction from organisations looking for a cheaper way to transport payloads to space to conduct everything from <\/span><span>microgravity research to earth observation. It expects to launch the first payloads to moderate altitudes before the end of this year, and many more in 2025 and 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dawn\u2019s lean approach to tech development stands out in an industry dominated by billionaire-funded startups and deep-pocketed governments. The company generates some additional revenue from its other business line, which builds low emissions propulsions systems for satellites. Nevertheless, it\u2019s looking to do something quite remarkable given its limited cash runway.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dawn\u2019s ultimate vision is to build an orbital stage aircraft, dubbed Mk-III, that could transport satellites into low-Earth orbit, putting it in direct competition with SpaceX \u2014 but, perhaps, at a much lower price point.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/dawn-aerospace-spaceplane-rocket-spacex\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dawn Aerospace is a small startup with big ambitions: to build the first vehicle to fly over 100 km above the Earth \u2014 twice in one day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A couple of weeks&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15481"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}