Rocket Drone Flies Twice In Same Day

News Discussion
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A New Zealand company flew back-to-back flights in a rocket-powered drone it hopes will be the vanguard of routine access to space. Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Aurora flew two sorties to 63,000 feet and Mach 9.5 on Sept. 27 to demonstrate the quick turnaround of the aircraft. “Rapid reusability has been termed the ‘holy grail’ for rocket-powered systems,” said Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace. “This milestone shows that our fundamental concept will unlock never-before-seen performance and hypersonic flight in a platform suitable for everyday operations, not just one-off research and development.”

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/rocket-drone-flies-twice-in-same-day
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Based on a recent vist to the USAF museum and looking at the X-15 with evidence of a M5.0 run I kind of doubt this aircraft went 9.5m there is still paint on the AC where I would expect it to be burnt off. Just sayin YMMV.

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It wasn’t mach 9.5, it was mach 0.9 (and 63,000’) per their website.

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Thats a BIG difference!

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Yikes. Sorry guys. Slip of the digit. Fixed now.

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It’s cool to make it to the Echo airspace on top of the Alpha. Cancel IFR?

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Do you mean cancel IFR only to have to re-file in a panic for the RTB?