The vehicle will be launched on a rocket before separating and igniting its own scramjet engines to reach speeds up to Mach 12.
The launch forms part of a wider plan to create Australia’s first “turnkey hypersonic testbed service” that will rival a similar proposal announced by competitor Gilmour.
It means devices could be attached as payloads to test how they respond to the effects of moving so quickly through the air.
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Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill said, “The intensity of hypersonic testing is set to rise rapidly and there are a huge number of both emerging technology companies and large aerospace companies that need hypersonic flight heritage for their products.
“Our hypersonic test bed will make this affordable for these companies to flight qualify their technology.”
Despite its relatively small aerospace industry, Australia is considered a pioneer in hypersonic technology.
The University of Southern Queensland, for example, has its own hypersonic wind tunnel that can simulate the effect of Mach 5 speeds, while Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems agreed a deal with the US Department of Defense.
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Hypersonix Launch Systems was selected ahead of 63 entrants by the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for a program testing aircraft that can fly faster than five times the speed of sound.
The business believes its “DART AE” aircraft can fly at seven times the speed of sound, while founder Michael Smart has previously told Space Connect’s sister brand, Australian Aviation, his long-term aim is to fly customers to space “like you fly with Qantas”.
“Hypersonix’s long-term ambition is to bring affordable aircraft-like operations to access to space, flying to the edge of space for spacecraft deployment and returning to land like a plane,” Southern Launch said.
“Hypersonic engines will also power a future generation of passenger aircraft with the potential of reducing the flight time from Adelaide to London to just two hours.”
Southern Launch, meanwhile, currently has two launch sites in South Australia.
The Koonibba Test Range is designed to test rockets and payloads by blasting them into suborbital space before they return to Earth at the same location.
It’s uniquely a joint venture between the launch firm and the Koonibba Community Aboriginal Corporation.
It differs from Southern Launch’s more traditional Whalers Way Complex at the tip of the Eyre Peninsula, which specialises in orbital launches over the sea.
“The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex and Koonibba Test Range are designed to be flexible to host a variety of missions,” Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said.
“We are proud that we can work with the Hypersonix team to help with the advancement of hypersonic vehicle technology and add another chapter to our nation’s aerospace capabilities right here in South Australia.”
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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