This mission film captures a custom flight profile and high-speed glide completed by Aurora in early March 2026 just off the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand. ๐๐๐ฅ๐ง๐ was a joint ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ involving ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐, the ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ, the ๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐, and Dawn Aerospaceโs suborbital spaceplane, Aurora.
๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ, ๐ฎ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐-๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ, ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ, ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐. The goal was to better understand how naval radar platforms perform when tracking a high-speed aerospace vehicle flying ๐ณ๐น๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐. This film highlights the value of ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต underway in New Zealand, at the intersection of industry, science and defence, representing the first operational step in using reusable rocket-powered aircraft architecture for repeatable high-performance trajectories. Future vehicles in the Aurora program are designed to reach speeds above ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฏ.๐ฑ and altitudes over ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ธ๐บ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Wx4GeMMjE
A joint mission involving NZDF | Defence Science & Technology (DST), the New Zealand Defence Force, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and Dawn Aerospaceโs suborbital spaceplane, Aurora, completed in March 2026 from the Tฤwhaki National Aerospace Centre in New Zealand
What this test flight achieved:
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Two-flight campaign
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Testing of the onboard radar systems of a naval frigate.
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Custom flight profiles
Dawn Aerospace is proud to announce the success of DARTE โ the Dawn Aerospace Radar Tracking Experiment. This was a joint mission involving NZDF | Defence Science & Technology (DST), the New Zealand Defence Force, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and Dawn Aerospaceโs suborbital spaceplane, Aurora.
The trial evaluated the radarโs ability to detect and track a high-altitude, high-speed air vehicle under controlled conditions. By conducting the experiment domestically, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) gained real-world performance data without relying on overseas test ranges. In this mission Aurora was flown in custom flight profiles from Tฤwhaki National Aerospace Centre, while HMNZS Te Kaha, a naval frigate, tracked the vehicle using its onboard radar systems.
DARTE highlights the value of emerging technologies research underway in New Zealand, at the intersection of industry, science and defence, representing the first operational step in using reusable rocket-powered aircraft architecture for repeatable high-performance trajectories. Future vehicles in the Aurora program are designed to reach speeds above Mach 3.5 and altitudes over 100 km.
Developing this capability domestically also contributes to New Zealandโs sovereign aerospace capability, allowing defence and research organisations to conduct advanced flight testing within New Zealand rather than relying solely on overseas infrastructure. Building this capability locally helps retain government investment within the New Zealand economy while strengthening national technological capacity and supporting collaboration with international partners and allied research programs.
