Hypersonix announces launch window

Australian hypersonic flight pioneer Hypersonix Launch Systems has announced the launch window for a landmark flight test that the company says will move sustained hypersonic flight closer to operational reality. Its DART AE hypersonic air vehicle will be carried on a Rocket Lab launcher no earlier than late-February.

The flight will see Hypersonix deploy DART AE, a 3.5-metre, scramjet-powered hypersonic aircraft designed to validate advanced propulsion, materials, sensors and guidance systems at real hypersonic flight conditions. This will be the first flight of DART AE, which was selected in 2023 by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for its Hypersonic and High Cadence Testing (HyCAT) program.

Founded in 2019, Hypersonix is developing a new class of autonomous hypersonic aircraft that deliver sustained flight at extreme speed, range and altitude, it says in a media release. Its proprietary SPARTAN scramjet engine is 3D-printed, reusable and capable of reaching speeds of Mach 5+ with no moving parts.

The Cassowary Vex mission, launching on “That’s Not A Knife” with Rocket Lab, is scheduled to launch no earlier than late February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 within the Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The exact date and timing of the launch will be announced within 24 hours of the mission’s launch window opening.

Unlike conventional scramjets powered by kerosene, SPARTAN uses hydrogen, producing zero CO2 emissions and offering a usable, low-maintenance solution for a range of high-speed defence and aerospace missions. The technology was developed by Dr Michael Smart, co-founder of Hypersonix, former Chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland and a former NASA research scientist.

Dr Smart said the flight is about proving the fundamentals of reusable, hydrogen-powered hypersonic flight at real conditions in the upper atmosphere.

“DART AE allows us to validate propulsion, materials and control systems at speeds and temperatures that simply can’t be replicated on the ground,” he said. “What we learn from this mission will directly inform the next generation of operational hypersonic vehicles.”

Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill said it’s a major milestone for the company.

“This flight reflects years of engineering work and the confidence of our partners at DIU, NASA and Rocket Lab,” he said. “It brings us a meaningful step closer to operational hypersonic systems that are reusable, sustainable and strategically relevant for Australia and for our allies.”