The Australian company Hypersonix Launch Systems has tested the hypersonic vehicle DART AE, which is entirely made from high-temperature alloys using 3D printing and operates on hydrogen. The launch took place on February 28 from a spaceport in Virginia at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense. The vehicle reached a speed of 8 Mach — 9800 km/h.
The hypersonic vehicle DART AE, measuring 3.5 meters in length, was developed by Hypersonix Launch Systems. It was launched using the HASTE rocket from Rocket Lab at the spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia.
The vehicle is entirely made from high-temperature alloys using 3D printing, making it the world's first hypersonic vehicle created with this technology. DART AE operates on hydrogen fuel with a direct-flow air-breathing engine called SPARTAN, and its combustion product is plain water.
The launch vehicle placed the 300 kg apparatus on a suborbital trajectory, accelerating it to 5 Mach. At an altitude of 26 km, its own engine was activated, and DART AE reached a speed of 8 Mach (9800 km/h), flying approximately 1000 km and successfully landing in the Atlantic Ocean.
The vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of up to 12 Mach.
The launch was conducted at the request of the U.S. Department of Defense to test 3D printing technologies, high-temperature materials, and autonomous guidance systems in real conditions. The collected data will be compared with digital models.
Michael Smart, co-founder of Hypersonix Launch Systems, noted that the results of this test will have a significant impact on the design of future hypersonic vehicles.
Rocket Lab conducted a live broadcast; however, at the request of the developers, most of the flight was not shown.
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