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Dawn Aerospace

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Dawn Aerospace
Company typePrivate
IndustryAerospace
Founded2017
Founder
  • Stefan Powell, James Powell, Jeroen Wink, Tobias Knop, Robert Werner
HeadquartersDelft, Netherlands and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Number of locations
3 (August 2022)
Products
  • CubeDrive, SatDrive, Dawn Mk-II Aurora
RevenueNZD $20 million (2022)
Number of employees
130+ (October 2023)
Websitedawnaerospace.com

Dawn Aerospace is a space transportation company building both in-space propulsion systems and a space launch vehicle. The company currently manufactures satellite propulsion systems with lower greenhouse potential and nontoxic materials, as well as an uncrewed suborbital spaceplane with rapidly reusable flight characteristics.

History

[edit]

Dawn Aerospace was co-founded in 2017 by Stefan Powell (New Zealand), Jeroen Wink (from the Netherlands), James Powell (New Zealand), Tobias Knop (Germany), and Robert Werner (Germany).

In 2018, Dawn Aerospace raised $3.5m in seed funding from New Zealand, American and Dutch investors. Further investment of an undisclosed figure was made in 2021 by Movac and others.[1]

In 2020, Dawn Aerospace successfully performed atmospheric testing of their Dawn MK II spaceplane,[2] verifying its flight characteristics before future 2023 testing of a larger platform.[3]

Satellite propulsion hardware

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Dawn Aerospace currently produces hardware for small satellites, to include thrusters and propellants.[4]

Dawn aerospace has provided the propulsion to Pixxel, an Indian based space organization.[5] They also have signed contracts with the ESA, [6] contracts with Blue Canyon, now part of Raytheon Technologies, to provide its proprietary mix of propellants for microsatelite operations [7][8] and ALE Co., Ltd. Japan and UARX Space. In the last case Dawn provided them with its own proprietary propulsion architecture.[9][10][11] Dawn Aerospace has also signed contracts with Indonesia's national space agency, working to provide the propellant for a new satellite network dedicated to providing early warning of tsunami and earthquake related phenomena.[12][13]

B20 Thruster

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Dawn Aerospace's B20 thruster is a 20 newton thruster that uses a chemical propellant made up of nitrous oxide and propylene. The innovation is that it replaces hydrazine, a highly toxic chemical compound often used in satellites. This allows for quicker launches and more safe handling of the rocket while on the ground, increasing launch cadence.[14] In 2021, D-Orbit, a space logicists firm, validated the thrusters on its PULSE space tug mission, firing six B20 thrusters.[15][16]

B1 thruster

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Another in-space propulsion rocket motor, the B1 thruster is a 1 newton thruster for satellites. It is manufactured as a single structure using Inconel 718. In 2021 it was flown on the Hiber-Three and Hiber-Four 3U CubeSat, which were respectively launched by Soyuz-2 and Falcon9 on the SpaceX Transporter-1 mission,[17] SpaceX's first dedicated SmallSat Rideshare program mission.[18]

Dawn Mk-II Aurora spaceplane

[edit]

Dawn Aerospace announced [19] the Mk-II Aurora uncrewed suborbital spaceplane in July 2020.[20] The goal for the prototype is to achieve same-day full re-usability, taking off from conventional airports and reaching altitudes above 100 km for experiments in microgravity, hypersonics, earth observation, and atmospheric science.[21] The spaceplane was initially tested with jet engines at low altitudes and then later with rocket engines at progressively high altitudes.

Development milestones

[edit]

In 2021, the Mk-II Aurora flew for the first time during five test flights over the South Island of New Zealand between 28 and 30 July. On 9 December 2021, Dawn Aerospace announced it had received a license to fly its suborbital spaceplane from a conventional New Zealand Airport, working with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA) and New Zealand Space Agency.[22][23] By December 2022, Dawn Aerospace had conducted 48 successful tests below 9000 ft altitude using jet engines to demonstrate the spaceplane platform,[24][25] verifying its flight characteristics before future 2023 testing of a larger platform.[26]

In March 2023, the CAA certified the craft for rocket-powered (HTP/kerosene) test flights.[27] The first three rocket-powered test flights were conducted[clarification needed] between 29 and 31 March 2023 from Glentanner Aerodrome.[28] Subsequent certification for supersonic flight was received from the CAA in July 2024.[29] On 12 November 2024, the Mk-II Aurora spaceplane broke the sound barrier for the first time, becoming the first airplane designed and manufactured in New Zealand to do so. The flight, the spaceplane's 57th, attained a top speed of Mach 1.1 and a maximum height of 82,000 ft (25,000 m).[30][31]

Facilities

[edit]

Dawn Aerospace operates from three global bases: one each in the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States. Dawn Aerospace's headquarters are in Christchurch, New Zealand. They placed it there due to it being a good location for flight testing with less air traffic and stable weather. Dawn Aerospace is registered in New Zealand.[32][33]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Why you would raise $30m when you don't really need it". NBR | The Authority since 1970. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ Messier, Doug. "Dawn Aerospace Spaceplane Ready for Rocket Powered Flight After Completing 48 Flights Using Jet Engines". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ McDonald, Liz. "Big funding boost propels Dawn Aerospace to new heights". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  4. ^ Werner, Debra (27 August 2022). "Grants fuel Dawn Aerospace propulsion development". SpaceNews. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  5. ^ Ref, Space (9 February 2022). "Pixxel selects Dawn Aerospace propulsion for hyperspectral imaging constellation". SpaceRef. Multiverse Media Inc. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Dawn Aerospace receives additional ESA funding for thruster performance extension – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Adams County Partner Dawn Aerospace Wins Contract with Blue Canyon Technologies". coloradoairandspaceport.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ Ref, Space (10 May 2022). "Dawn Aerospace Wins Blue Canyon's X-SAT Saturn Class Propulsion Business". SpaceRef. Multiverse Media Inc. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  9. ^ Urban, Viktoria (3 August 2021). "UARX Space choses [sic] Dawn Aerospace to propulse its OSSIE space tug". SpaceWatch.Global. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  10. ^ "UARX Space selects Dawn Aerospace propulsion for its OTV OSSIE Mission". UARX Space. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  11. ^ Ltd, ALE Co. "CEO Lena Okajima participated in the event". ALE Co., Ltd. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Dawn Aerospace To Empower The Indonesian Space Agency's Tsunami Warning Satellite Constellation – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  13. ^ Ref, Space (9 August 2021). "Dawn Aerospace to Supply Propulsion for Indonesian Space Agency's Early Tsunami Warning Satellite Constellation". SpaceRef. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Hydrazine ban could cost Europe's space industry billions". SpaceNews. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Dawn Aerospace validates B20 Thrusters in space – Bits&Chips". 6 May 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Dawn Aerospace's Smallsat Green Propellant Thruster Proves Itself On-Orbit With D-Orbit's ION Space Tug – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Hiber's Green Propulsion Smallsat, Hiber Four, Launched Via The SpaceX Transporter-1 Mission – SatNews". news.satnews.com. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  18. ^ Sheetz, Michael (24 January 2021). "SpaceX launches a 'rideshare' mission carrying 143 spacecraft, a record for a single launch". CNBC. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  19. ^ Etherington, Darrell (28 July 2020). "Dawn Aerospace unveils the Mk II Aurora suborbital space plane, which is in theory capable of multiple same-day flights". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Dawn Mk-II Aurora Spaceplane, New Zealand". www.aerospace-technology.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Dawn Mk-II Aurora - Rocket-Powered Aircraft". Dawn Aerospace. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  22. ^ "Dawn Aerospace wins license for suborbital flights". SpaceNews. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  23. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (25 August 2021). "Dawn Aerospace conducts five flights of its suborbital spaceplane". TechCrunch. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  24. ^ Messier, Doug. "Dawn Aerospace Spaceplane Ready for Rocket Powered Flight After Completing 48 Flights Using Jet Engines". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  25. ^ "Dawn Aerospace Spaceplane Ready for Rocket Powered Flight After Completing 48 Flights Using Jet Engines – Parabolic Arc". Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  26. ^ McDonald, Liz. "Big funding boost propels Dawn Aerospace to new heights". Stuff. Stuff Ltd. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Spaceplane is now certified + ready for rocket-powered flight". SatNews. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  28. ^ Werner, Debra (5 April 2023). "Dawn flies rocket-powered spaceplane". SpaceNews. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  29. ^ Foust, Jeff (11 July 2024). "Dawn Aerospace gets approvals for supersonic rocketplane tests". Space News. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  30. ^ Keall, Chris (20 October 2023). "Watch: Aurora becomes first Kiwi-made aircraft to break the sound barrier". NZ Herald. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  31. ^ Tucker, Patrick (18 November 2024). "New rocket startup debuts with supersonic flight". Defense One. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  32. ^ "Dawn Aerospace – increasing NZ space flight | Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment". www.mbie.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  33. ^ "Aerospace Projects lifting off in Ōtautahi Christchurch". sUAS News – The Business of Drones. 29 November 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
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