Dawn Aerospace wants to make it even easier for you to hightail it into space.
The Dutch-New Zealand company just started taking orders for its Aurora space plane, as part of a plan to change how the entire aerospace industry works.
“For the first time, customers have the opportunity to own an aircraft capable of reaching the edge of space,” Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace, said in a statement.
The company’s new business model is akin to that of commercial airlines, meaning that theoretically, anyone could purchase the Aurora for any kind of mission or service. The space plane is not tied to Dawn Aerospace. This differs from the current industry approach in which the builder typically owns, operates, and oversees its craft. Dawn Aerospace claims that it is the first time a space-capable craft has been offered for direct sale to customers.
“Aurora is a game-changing platform for governments, spaceports, and new spaceplane operators to access extreme altitudes and deliver vital services and programs,” Powell adds. “It’s been over a century since commercial airlines began—now it’s time to launch the first spaceline.”
The Aurora is designed to fly to the edge of space (the Kármán line) at an altitude of 62 miles (328,000 feet). The suborbital space plane, which can take off and land like a regular fixed-wing aircraft, has a top speed of Mach 3.5, a maximum payload capacity of 22 pounds, and a range of 80 miles. It offers a turnaround time of only four hours between flights, suggesting that it may eventually be able to head to space multiple times per day. It will also provide flyers up to three minutes of weightlessness.
Aurora has already proven itself in the skies, too. The craft completed its 57th test flight in November 2024, reaching supersonic speeds (Mach 1.12) and climbing to 82,500 feet to cement a new world record. (Aurora achieved the fastest climb from runway to above 65,600 feet, breaking an almost five-decade record that was held by the modified F-15 Streak Eagle.)
It won’t be long before we see more Auroras in the skies, either: First deliveries are expected in 2027. The price tag will be in the ballpark of US$30 million a unit, according to New Atlas.
This story was previously published on Robb Report USA.
Cover photo courtesy of Dawn Aerospace
