12 ноября 2024 года,в 57 полете Mk-II Aurora впервые превысила скорость звука, достигнув числа Маха 1,1 и поднявшись на высоту 82 500 футов.Таким образом мы устранили последний крупный технический риск в программе Aurora: динамику транспортного средства в трансзвуковом режиме.Dawn Aerospace Achieves Historic Flight - Breaks Sound Barrier and Global Records — Dawn Aerospace
The fastest aircraft ever to climb from ground level to 20 km. First New Zealand-designed and -built aircraft to fly supersonic. Highest altitude achieved by an aircraft flown from New Zealand. Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand – 19 November 2024 – Multinational aerospace company Dawn Aewww.dawnaerospace.com
О перевозке людей пока даже не мечтают. Летает маленький беспилотный прототип.
The Aurora is designed to fly to the edge of space—100 km altitude—twice in a single day, reaching speeds of Mach 3.5 during ascent and re-entry. The Mk-II Aurora is powered by pure rocket propulsion, which features thrust-to-weight ratios 20 times higher than conventional jet engines, and is not limited to operation within the atmosphere. These capabilities make it ideal for applications such as microgravity research, atmospheric science, Earth observation, and testing high speed flight