Dawn Aerospace

Dawn Aerospace develops reusable rocket-powered spaceplanes and non-toxic, refuellable satellite propulsion, with the stated goal of building a space transportation network with the frequency and reliability of aviation. The company was founded in 2017 by Stefan Powell, Jeroen Wink, James Powell, Robert Werner and Tobias Knop, with roots in Delft University of Technology and ties to New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority and aircraft certification ecosystem. It now has more than 150 people across the Netherlands, New Zealand, France, Germany and the United States, with its New Zealand base at 14 Birmingham Drive, Christchurch.

Aurora spaceplane

• Aurora is an uncrewed, remotely piloted rocket-powered aircraft designed for routine suborbital access and speeds above Mach 3, operating from conventional runways
• Suborbital profile: around 30 minutes of flight with up to 127 seconds of microgravity and pointing time for optical payloads
• Boost-glide profile: reaches up to Mach 3.7 within the atmosphere for supersonic testing and target presentation
• Restartable rocket engine, conventional aerodynamic controls, an independent reaction control system above the atmosphere, a composite airframe and a modular payload bay
• In November 2024 Aurora broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.12 at 82,500 feet and set a record for the fastest climb to 20 kilometres, surpassing the 1975 record of the modified F-15 Streak Eagle

Satellite propulsion

Dawn's bipropellant thrusters run on nitrous oxide and propene, avoiding the handling risks of hydrazine. The B1 (1 N class) is designed for fine attitude control on CubeSats and small satellites and forms the core of the CubeDrive modules, while the B20 (20 N) supports orbit raising and larger manoeuvres, including lunar and deep-space missions, with an additively manufactured Inconel 718 body. B5 and B200 sizes are in development. Each thruster can switch between bipropellant and cold-gas modes, is operable under ambient conditions for ground testing and offers standard power and data interfaces. The company reports more than 200 thrusters on over 50 satellites in orbit, is developing the LOOP in-orbit refuelling network and DFT port, and its SatDrive propulsion flew on the deep-space spacecraft Oden in February 2025.

Recent news

Dawn is building a USD 7.5 million facility at Infinity One Spaceport in Oklahoma, has expanded into Germany, completed a CNES study on refuellable spacecraft platforms with Infinite Orbits and Exotrail, and was selected by Aule Space to supply SatDrive propulsion for a docking demonstration.

Shows

Dawn Aerospace appears in the exhibitor lists of the Small Satellite Conference 2027, SmallSat Europe 2027 and Space Tech Expo Europe 2026.

Contact

New Zealand: 14 Birmingham Drive, Christchurch 8024; also in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the USA
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