Local space technology company Gilmour Space will launch a suborbital flight test service for hypersonic vehicles as demand grows for high-speed test facilities in Australia.
The new HyPeRsonic Flight Test (HPRFLT) service is slated to launch next year, offering researchers and companies a “real-life environment” to translate early-stage research into viable technologies.
Hypersonic vehicles can reach speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), or more than 4,830 kilometres per hour, according to United States space agency NASA.
Gilmour Space’s director of Launch Vehicles and Satellites, David Doyle, said the HPRFLT service aims to solve a significant challenge for established testing facilities: scaling hypersonic technologies.
Hypersonic wind tunnels, including at the University of Southern Queensland – the country’s longest duration tunnel – and the University of Queensland, have predominately been used to test research to date.
But while acceptable for early-stage testing, they are not designed for full-size applications, typically offering hypersonic flow for 200 to 3000 milliseconds, Mr Doyle said.
Relying on ground-based shock tunnel testing and simulations for hypersonics testing has also created a “bottleneck in high-speed flight test capabilities”, as the research and development into hypersonics technologies has grown.
“We’re witnessed a surge in the research and development of hypersonic vehicles, materials, and other related technologies in recent years, especially since AUKUS…”, Mr Doyle said.
Brisbane-based Hypersonix Launch Systems is one such company developing a hypersonic aircraft and engine, known as DART AE, which is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 7.
DART AE was selected by the Pentagon’s Defence Innovation Unit last year as the test vehicle for its Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities program. Hypersonix also signed a contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence earlier this month.
Other developments are expected to follow, with hypersonics and counter-hypersonics one of six immediate priorities under the advanced technologies component of the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Our new… service will help to bridge that gap by providing a real-life environment for researchers and companies to test, demonstrate, and advance their innovations to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) in Australia,” Mr Doyle said.
“It’s a sovereign, Australian solution for a low-cost, rapid turnkey, hypersonic testbed that will be essential for translating early-stage research into high TRL technologies and platforms that can be used by the Australian Defence Force and our allies.”
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