Hypersonix selects Southern Launch for test bed service

South Australian spaceport provider Southern Launch and Queensland hypersonic vehicle and scramjet technology manufacturer Hypersonix Launch Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on a turnkey hypersonic test bed service.

Under the MoU, Hypersonix and Southern Launch will work together to develop a mission to launch and return Hypersonix’s test bed vehicles at either of Southern Launch’s spaceports. At present, Hypersonix is working on the US Defense Innovation Unit’s HYCAT program and expects to make the maiden flight of its DART platform from Wallops Island on the eastern seaboard of the USA during the first quarter of 2025.

Hypersonic aircraft fly at more than five times the speed of sound and require plenty of space to test and evaluate the technology. To reach hypersonic speeds the Hypersonix’s aircraft will be launched on a rocket before separating and igniting its own scramjet engines to reach speeds up to Mach 12.

“South Australia has some geographical advantages that make it the perfect place to test hypersonic vehicles,” says Lloyd Damp, CEO of Southern Launch.

Hypersonix CEO Matt Hill says, “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.”

The two companies will begin collaborating on a concept of operations for a future commercial launch and return of a Hypersonix test-bed vehicle. Hypersonix’s long term ambition is to bring affordable aircraft-like operations to access to space, flying its Delta Velos hypersonic platform and subsequent platforms at Mach 12 to the edge of space for spacecraft deployment, and then returning to land like a conventional aircraft.

 “The Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex and Koonibba Test Range are designed to be flexible to host a variety of missions,” said Damp. Work on a joint mission will begin immediately with the hope of launching in late 2025.