Left to Right: Dr. George Nield (Chairman, Global Spaceport Alliance), Jim Bridenstine (Managing Partner of the Artemis Group and Former NASA Administrator), Stefan Powell (CEO, Dawn Aerospace), and Khaki Rodway (Spaceplane Sales & Operations Director, USA, Dawn Aerospace). Photo credit : Dawn Aerospace.

Dawn Aerospace has revealed details of a major new initiative to bring more space business to Oklahoma. It has signed a partnership deal with the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) to bring a Mk-II Aurora spaceplane to Oklahoma. As part of the agreement, Dawn will deliver and operate Aurora at the Oklahoma Air and Space Port. The Aurora is scheduled for delivery in 2027, with flights to space commencing that same year. Dawn Aerospace announced the partnership deal, June 12.

A rocket-powered, remote-piloted aircraft, the Aurora is designed to carry payloads of up to 11 lbs (5 kg) to altitudes of 330,000 feet (100 km). With a rapid turnaround time of just four hours, Dawn Aerospace claims it would be the first aircraft to reach above the Karman line twice in one day. This capability at the Oklahoma Spaceport builds on OSIDA’s decades-long commitment to aerospace innovation and economic growth since its founding in 1999. With this new era of spaceflight, the spaceport has the aim of becoming one of America’s busiest suborbital launch sites, solidifying its role as a hub for microgravity research, atmospheric studies, and satellite technology testing.

Under the terms of the agreement, Dawn will supply the aircraft, ground control station and an operations team. Flights on Aurora are expected to cost, on average, low hundreds of thousands of dollars per flight. Campaigns of multiple flights will redefine the landscape of space launch and enable researchers to conduct experiments in rapid succession, accelerating scientific progress while keeping costs low. Oklahoma colleges and universities will have free access to the aircraft for research purposes for the first year of operations.

“Oklahoma is positioned to be at the forefront of the next space frontier and a hub for national defense. With targeted investment, the state is moving to secure frequent and reliable space access and is set to become America’s busiest suborbital launch site. Launching from Burns Flat will unlock a new class of microgravity research, national security applications, and commercial innovation,” Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, said in a statement.