Concept art of the DART AE vehicle on top of its rocket booster. Image: Hypersonix.
An Australian-developed aircraft capable of flying at hypersonic speeds will soon be launched for the first time atop a rocket from a site on the US East Coast.
The 3.5-metre-long DART AE, built by Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems, is scheduled to be launched no earlier than late February from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2 at the Virginia Spaceport Authority Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.
The aircraft will be boosted to hypersonic speeds by the rocket, at which point its own hydrogen-fuelled scramjet engine will take over and provide sufficient thrust to sustain speeds of Mach 7, or seven times the speed of sound. Hypersonic speed denotes any speed above Mach 5.
Due to weather and other factors, the exact date and timing of the mission — dubbed ‘’Cassowary Vex’’ — will be announced within 24 hours of the mission’s launch window opening.
The DART AE is a scaled version of a future commercial hypersonic aircraft, and has been designed to validate advanced propulsion, materials, sensors and guidance systems at real hypersonic flight conditions.
The aircraft uses a proprietary SPARTAN scramjet engine, which has been 3D-printed, is reusable, and capable of reaching speeds of more than Mach 5 with no moving parts.
Hypersonix says that, unlike conventional scramjets, which are powered by kerosene, SPARTAN uses hydrogen, which produces zero CO₂ emissions and offers a usable, low-maintenance solution for a range of high-speed defence and aerospace missions.
The technology was developed by former NASA research scientist and the co-founder of Hypersonix Dr Michael Smart, a former chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland.
Dr Smart said the flight was about proving the fundamentals of reusable, hydrogen-powered hypersonic flight at real conditions in the upper atmosphere.
The DART AE being manufactured at Hypersonix’s Brisbane facility. Photo: Hypersonix.
“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.
“Getting to this point is a huge technical and engineering milestone for Hypersonix,” he added in a LinkedIn post.
“This flight demonstration will see DART flying at hypersonic conditions under scramjet power, with the data from this mission feeding straight into the next generation of hypersonic vehicles.”
Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill said the flight would be a major milestone for the company.
“This flight reflects years of engineering work and the confidence of our partners at DIU [Defence Innovation Unit], 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.”
Founded in 2019, Hypersonix is focused on developing a new class of autonomous hypersonic aircraft that deliver sustained flight at extreme speed, range and altitude.
The company announced $46 million in Series A funding last year with investment from Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) and the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).
The same two organisations also recently invested in Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technologies, another startup seeking to develop Australian technologies in the aerospace sector.
The funding has allowed Hypersonix to accelerate its flight-test program and fast-track development of its next reusable hypersonic platform, VISR (Velos Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).
The company currently employs more than 50 people in Brisbane in aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, and testing roles.
