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This New Reusable Rocket Ship Can Fly From Earth to Space Several Times a Day
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This New Reusable Rocket Ship Can Fly From Earth to Space Several Times a Day

Designed to fly multiple daily missions, Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II introduces a concept of true sustainability to the space race.

Science & Tech

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Virgin Galactic’s Sir Richard Branson have already reached the edge of space in their respective spaceships. But could they do it multiple times a day? Stefan Powell can.

Or at least it looks like he’ll soon be able to. Powell is the CEO of the Dutch-New Zealand company Dawn Aerospace, which last month conducted five successful flights of its Mk-II Aurora, which is on track to reach low-space orbit in 2022. The test flights—to 3,400 feet—allowed the company to assess the airframe and avionics on the a 16-foot long, 165-pound mighty might.

The company is also developing a rocket engine, which will go into the Mk-II early next year and allow it to take off from a conventional airstrip, reach low-space, land on the same strip, then do the whole thing again—several times in the same day if desired. Like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin, space tourism could be part of Dawn Aerospace’s distant future.