Dawn Aerospace sold its first spaceplane

RNZ reported the first sale of a Dawn Aerospace spaceplane. Aurora is rocket-powered, takes off and lands from an ordinary runway, and flew supersonic from Glentanner Aerodrome in November 2024. Selling the aircraft is a different business from selling a ride to orbit.

We backed Dawn Aerospace because reuse is what decides the cost of reaching space, and an aircraft that operates from a runway can fly again the same day. Stefan Powell, Jeroen Wink, James Powell, Robert Werner and Tobias Knop founded the company in 2017, and it built a second revenue line in satellite propulsion alongside the aircraft. The timing suits a launch market that rewards flight rate and fast turnaround.

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