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Australian hypersonic flight pioneer Hypersonix Launch Systems has confirmed a launch window for a landmark flight test that aims to bring sustained hypersonic flight closer to operational reality.
Founded in 2019, the Brisbane-based company is developing a new class of autonomous hypersonic aircraft capable of sustained flight at extreme speed, range and altitude.
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Central to the program is its Spartan scramjet engine, a 3D-printed, reusable hydrogen-fuelled system with no moving parts, designed to reach speeds of up to Mach 12.
The upcoming Cassowary Vex mission will see Hypersonix fly its DART AE vehicle, a 3.5-metre scramjet-powered hypersonic aircraft, for the first time.
The flight is scheduled for no earlier than late February, launching aboard Rocket Lab’s “That’s Not A Knife” mission from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, operated by the Virginia Spaceport Authority. Final launch timing will be confirmed within 24 hours of the window opening.
DART AE has been designed to validate advanced propulsion, materials, sensors and guidance systems under real hypersonic conditions in the upper atmosphere environments that cannot be fully replicated on the ground.
The Spartan engine differs from conventional kerosene-fuelled scramjets by using hydrogen, producing zero CO₂ emissions while offering a reusable, lower-maintenance option for future defence and aerospace missions.
The technology was developed by Hypersonix co-founder Dr Michael Smart, formerly chair of hypersonic propulsion at the University of Queensland and a former NASA research scientist.
“This flight is about proving the fundamentals of reusable, hydrogen-powered hypersonic flight at real conditions,” Smart said. “What we learn will directly inform the next generation of operational hypersonic vehicles.”
Chief executive Matt Hill said the mission marked a major milestone for the company and its partners, including Defense Innovation Unit and Rocket Lab.
“It reflects years of engineering work and brings us a meaningful step closer to operational hypersonic systems that are reusable, sustainable and strategically relevant for Australia and its allies,” Hill said.
The launch follows Hypersonix’s $46 million Series A funding round, backed by the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation and Queensland Investment Corporation. The round was led by High Tor Capital, with support from Saab and Polish family office RKKVC.
The funding is accelerating Hypersonix’s flight-test program, expanding advanced manufacturing capability in Queensland and fast-tracking development of its next reusable hypersonic platform, VISR.
The company currently employs more than 50 people in Brisbane across engineering, manufacturing and testing roles.
