Scout Space, Dawn Aerospace partner for spaceplane surveillance demonstration

Scout Space has partnered with Dawn Aerospace to conduct a demonstration of spaceplane surveillance capabilities aimed at observing objects in very low Earth orbit (VLEO). The collaboration, announced on August 22, involves integrating Scout's space domain awareness sensors into Dawn's Mk-II Aurora suborbital spaceplane, with a test flight scheduled for November at the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre in New Zealand. The Mk-II Aurora is designed to operate like a conventional aircraft, taking off and landing horizontally, and is expected to reach altitudes of up to 80,000 feet, with a goal of flying to 100 kilometers to cross the Kármán line. This initiative aims to provide a responsive VLEO observation capability that could be more effective and resilient than traditional satellite methods. If successful, Scout plans to market this technology to the U.S. government as a cost-effective solution for intelligence-gathering missions. The integration of the Sparrow sensors into the spaceplane's fuselage is seen as a significant technical challenge, but if proven viable, it could reshape how VLEO observations are conducted.

- Scout Space and Dawn Aerospace are collaborating on a spaceplane surveillance demonstration.

- The Mk-II Aurora spaceplane will be used to observe objects in very low Earth orbit.

- The test flight is scheduled for November in New Zealand.

- Successful demonstrations could lead to marketing the technology to the U.S. government.

- The initiative aims to provide a more effective alternative to satellite-based observation methods.