Dawn’s Mk-II cleared for supersonic flight tests
12 Jul
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Dawn’s Mk-II cleared for supersonic flight tests

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Top Stories Tamfitronics Stefan Powell, Dawn Aerospace co-founder and chief technology officer, with the Dawn Mk-II suborbital spaceplane. SAN FRANCISCO — Dawn Aerospace is poised to begin supersonic testing of its Mk-II Aurora spaceplane.New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) awarded Dawn a certificate to fly the Mk-II Aurora at unlimited speeds and a maximum altitude of 80,000 feet, the company announced July 12.“This unlocks the next major performance milestone for the Mk-II vehicle, namely supersonic flight,” Dawn CEO Stefan Powell said in a statement. “To the best of our knowledge, this would be the first privately funded aircraft of its kind to break the sound barrier.”From July through September, Dawn plans to conduct a series of a dozen or fewer test flights. The goal is to “expand the vehicle’s envelope to” reach Mach 1.1 and...
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