Australian hypersonic technology developer Hypersonix Launch Systems has announced a launch window for the first flight of its DART AE hypersonic vehicle, marking a key test of its reusable, hydrogen-powered scramjet system.
The mission, known as Cassowary Vex, is scheduled to launch no earlier than late February from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia. The vehicle will fly aboard a Rocket Lab launch under the mission name “That’s Not A Knife”, with the exact launch date to be confirmed within 24 hours of the window opening.
The flight will deploy DART AE, a 3.5-metre scramjet-powered aircraft designed to validate propulsion, materials, sensors and guidance systems in sustained hypersonic conditions. It will be the first flight of the DART AE platform.
Hypersonix, founded in 2019, is developing autonomous hypersonic aircraft capable of sustained high-speed flight at extreme altitude and range. Its proprietary SPARTAN scramjet engine is designed to operate at speeds of up to Mach 12 and is manufactured using 3D printing. Unlike traditional scramjets that use hydrocarbon fuels, SPARTAN is hydrogen-fuelled.
The company says the flight will test performance in upper-atmosphere conditions that cannot be fully replicated in ground-based facilities. Dr Michael Smart, Hypersonix co-founder and former Chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland, said the mission is focused on validating propulsion and control systems under real hypersonic flight conditions.
The launch is being conducted in partnership with the US Defense Innovation Unit and Rocket Lab, and follows Hypersonix’s recent $46 million Series A funding round. That round included backing from Australia’s National Reconstruction Fund Corporation and Queensland Investment Corporation, along with UK-based High Tor Capital, European defence company Saab and Polish investor RKKVC.
The funding is supporting Hypersonix’s ongoing flight-test program, expansion of advanced manufacturing capability in Queensland and development of its next reusable hypersonic platform, VISR (Velos Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance).
Hypersonic systems — generally defined as operating at speeds above Mach 5 — are a growing area of investment globally, particularly for defence and aerospace applications. The DART AE test flight will provide data relevant to propulsion durability, thermal performance and flight control at extreme speeds.
