Scout Space to Fly Novel vLEO SDA Sensors on Taskable Spaceplane
Scout Space vLEO Proof of Concept Mission Illustration
Scout Space Inc., a leading in-space observation service provider focused on space security and autonomy solutions, is set to make history with the first demonstration of a novel very low Earth orbit (vLEO) Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capability, aboard a reusable, taskable, sub-orbital spaceplane platform. This groundbreaking proof-of-concept mission, dubbed “Morning Sparrow”, represents a significant leap in responsive space operations and introduces a first-of-its-kind capability developed in partnership with Dawn Aerospace. Scout signed a flight agreement with Dawn in August, covering this initial demonstration and a series of future flights.
Scout’s Sparrow payloads deployed for vLEO observations offer critical advantages for defense operators with taskable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Scheduled to fly in November 2024 out of Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre near Christchurch, New Zealand, Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Aurora, a rocket-powered aircraft designed to be the first vehicle capable of flying to 100 km altitude multiple times per day, will carry out this mission. Its taskable design and maneuverability enable rapid deployment of Scout’s Sparrow payloads, providing a responsive platform for urgent intelligence-gathering in time-sensitive situations. The Mk-II Aurora, with its unique maneuverability and capability, will transport Scout’s twin Sparrow payloads to extremely high altitudes, reaching the stratosphere and achieving supersonic speeds.
“Scout is proud to lead the way in securing vLEO in collaboration with Dawn Aerospace. By expanding our international partnerships and embracing both companies’ shared cultures of innovation, we are looking forward to developing and fielding something that has never been demonstrated before,” said Philip Hover-Smoot, CEO of Scout Space Inc. “This ‘first-of-its-kind’ tactically responsive vLEO SDA capability introduces a significant new tool for space defense operators.”
“When paired with the rapid response capabilities of a sub-orbital, ground-based platform, Scout’s solutions are game changing for vLEO SDA.” said Stefan Powell, CEO of Dawn Aerospace. “This combination provides a level of effectiveness and resilience that surpasses what can be achieved by traditional providers.”
Mission Components:
SDA Payloads: A stereoscopic set of reusable Sparrows (one narrow field-of-view and one wide field-of-view) equipped with on-board processing within a compact form factor.
Dawn Aerospace's Mk-II Aurora: The Sparrow payloads integrate seamlessly into the Mk-II Aurora's fuselage encapsulated in an open payload bay with an optical window
During the proof of concept mission, Scout will calibrate and demonstrate core functionality of the Sparrow sensors integrated into the Mk-II, capturing imagery, diagnostic, and environmental data throughout the mission. This demonstration will highlight the potential of deploying Scout’s secure SDA solutions onboard future Dawn spaceplanes, providing sensor access to unique and crucial operating environments not well served by traditional SDA solutions.
“This partnership with Dawn brings to the market something fundamentally new from two organizations dedicated to pushing the edge of the possible,” added Hover-Smoot. “Our successful demonstration of our novel tactically responsive vLEO SDA capability will pave the way for future advancements in space security and multi-domain Space Domain Awareness.”
Emphasizing the importance of the Sparrow system and its role in this mission, Nate Bickus, Mission Systems Engineer at Scout and program manager for the mission, added, “Interoperable ready-to-fly SDA capabilities are crucial to future space architectures and space security. We're excited to collaborate with Dawn Aerospace in leveraging Sparrow’s platform agnostic design to field a quick-turn demonstration of a truly unique SDA solution, a solution that can significantly enhance the responsiveness and scope of space security operations across the orbital regimes.”