German company develops hypersonic spaceplane

A miniature test version of a spaceplane designed by Polaris has completed a series of successful flights.

Polaris perfects its Aurora supersonic spaceplane through experimental aircraft versions like Mira. Photo: Polaris Raumflugzenge

German aerospace company Polaris Raumflugzenge has completed a series of test flights to develop Aurora, its next-generation spaceplane design. In late August, the company successfully completed a flight with Mira-Light, a scaled-down version of its fourth experimental aircraft Mira, which is scheduled to make its first flight later this year. Polaris has extensive experience in reusable space vehicle launches and flexible hypersonic transport systems that can continue to operate as conventional aircraft, according to Debrief .

The Aurora vehicle combines aircraft and rocket technology in a novel design that offers a major cost advantage, paving the way for routine, safe, and affordable access to space. Polaris is building a number of small, operational test aircraft to test the technology and accelerate spaceplane development.

MIRA-Light is 2.5 cm long and is a technologically simplified version of the larger and heavier MIRA aircraft. The primary objective of this aircraft is to thoroughly evaluate and optimize MIRA's flight control system. The vehicle is equipped with four electric motors that provide thrust while MIRA uses four kerosene-fueled turbofans and a liquid-fueled rocket engine.

MIRA-Light represents the company’s fourth vehicle to take to the air, following the Stella, Aleda, and Athena. Based on experience, the team was able to keep the overall project cost, including design, manufacturing, and testing, relatively low at just a few tens of thousands of dollars. Polaris said the vehicle design and construction process was completed concurrently with MIRA in a matter of weeks.

“Since the first flight went smoothly, we immediately began flight control testing and calibration program testing on the same day. By the end of the day, MIRA-Light had completed five flights without any issues. We plan to conduct another 10-15 flights in the coming weeks to complete the full test program,” Polaris said.

The company plans to complete Mira flight testing by the end of 2023. The final test aircraft, Nova, will take off early next year. The advanced system on Aurora allows for global runway launches like conventional aircraft. In addition to significantly reducing costs due to its reusability and lack of a launch pad, Aurora can carry 1,000 kg of cargo on orbital missions and 10,000 kg of cargo on suborbital or hypersonic missions. The turnaround time for the aircraft is less than 24 hours. The system also allows for launch aborts and safe return of cargo. According to Polaris, Aurora will be operational in 2026-2027.

An Khang (According to Debrief )

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