Dawn Aerospace and Scout Space have completed their first demonstration flight carrying a space domain awareness (SDA) payload, marking a significant first step toward SDA capability using a sub-orbital spaceplane at supersonic speeds . The flight tested integration of Scout’s ‘Morning Sparrow’ sensor suite aboard the Aurora platform, flying from a conventional runway at Tawhaki National Aerospace Centre in New Zealand.
This flight also marks Scout as the first commercial operator to fly on Dawn Aerospace’s Aurora – a rocket-powered high-altitude aircraft, under a strategic partnership in which Scout will develop a first-of-its-kind tactically responsive Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) space domain awareness capability. The combination of supersonic flight testing and runway-based operations gives Scout a unique, accelerated path to proving new SDA technologies that are easier, more repeatable and more affordable.
‘Morning Sparrow’, flew to a maximum altitude of 67,000 ft, and maximum speed of Mach 1.03. In follow-on flights, Morning Sparrow’s sensor suite will then 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.” said 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, demonstrating the kind of rapid turnaround and responsiveness critical for SDA missions.
“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,” said 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.”
Next Steps
- Scout and Dawn will continue their collaboration with a contract in place allowing 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.
By enabling high-cadence VLEO observation from suborbital altitudes, Scout’s approach could dramatically change how space is monitored by governments and commercial operators. Scout Space is well placed to lead this shift—demonstrating how urgent intelligence gathering for time-sensitive situations can be done faster and more flexibly than ever before.
