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Credit: Dawn Aerospace/Cover Images A rocket-powered aircraft has broken the sound barrier for the first time since Concorde, following a successful test flight in New Zealand. Dawn Aerospace’s MK-11 Aurora jet reached supersonic speeds, marking a milestone in the company’s mission to revolutionise daily space access and satellite launches. "This achievement signifies a major step toward operational hypersonic travel and daily space access, establishing rocket-powered aircraft as a new class of ultra-high-performance vehicles," the company said in a statement. The test flight on November 12 saw the uncrewed aircraft reach a speed of Mach 1.1 (844 mph) and climb to...

The Mk-II Aurora rocket-powered suborbital spaceplane has been cleared for unlimited-speed test flights at an altitude of up to 80,000 ft - Dawn Aerospace The Mk-II Aurora suborbital spaceplane took to the skies last year for its maiden flight with a rocket engine. Now Dawn Aerospace has been give the official nod from New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority to undertake test flights at unlimited speeds. "This unlocks the next major performance milestone for the Mk-II vehicle, namely supersonic flight," said Stefan Powell, CEO of New Zealand's Dawn Aerospace. "To the best of our knowledge, this would be the first privately...