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As of Aug. 6,  (ChristChurch, New Zealand) has completed its first demonstration flight carrying a space domain awareness (SDA) payload with  (Reston, Va., U.S.), a space technology firm specializing in in-space observation services, marking the first step toward SDA capability using a suborbital spaceplane at supersonic speeds. The flight tested integration of Scout’s Morning Sparrow sensor suite aboard the composites-intensive Aurora platform, flying from a conventional runway at Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre in New Zealand.

This flight also marks Scout as the first commercial operator to fly on Dawn Aerospace’s rocket-powered, high-altitude aircraft under a strategic partnership in which Scout will develop a tactically responsive very-low Earth orbit (VLEO) space domain awareness capability. The combination of supersonic flight testing and runway-based operations gives Scout an accelerated path to proving new SDA technologies that are easier, more repeatable and more affordable.

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Morning Sparrow flew to a maximum altitude of 67,000 feet, and a maximum speed of Mach 1.03. In follow-on flights, Morning Sparrow’s sensor suite will be used to gather data and demonstrate the sensor’s capability to track and image VLEO objects from below — offering a responsive platform for urgent, time-sensitive intelligence-gathering and a cost-efficient alternative to conventional satellite-based SDA.

“Rapidly deployable, high-performance, high-altitude platforms are notoriously few and far between,” says Philip Hover-Smoot, CEO of Scout Space. “Accelerating flexible access to VLEO represents a leap forward in how we think about taskable surveillance and space security in rapidly evolving low-orbit environments, and unlocks new options for operators looking for otherwise limited intelligence products across the increasingly important VLEO regime.”

The sensor, housed in the Aurora’s payload bay, was accessible up to moments before flight showcasing the ease of integration, rapid access and easy hardware adjustments for space-class optics into aircraft-grade environments. Shortly after Aurora landing back on the runway, the crew had already begun transferring flight data.

“This is exactly what the Aurora is designed for — repeatable, tactical access to near space, supporting payloads that can’t wait months or years for launch,” says Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace. “We believe spaceplanes can and will play an integral role in the future of responsive space operations by complementing traditional SDA assets.” 

Scout and Dawn will continue the collaboration with a contract in place enabling Scout the option to fly Sparrow on Aurora for up to 30 flights. In parallel, Scout is developing two GEO-class Owl flight units for long-range object detection and autonomous SDA — extending its hosted-sensor heritage into full spacecraft operations.