Runway-to-Space Challenge brings spaceflight closer
The Runway-to-Space Spaceplane Challenge is a new U.S. competition aimed at making space research faster and more accessible through reusable spaceplanes. It utilizes Dawn Aerospace's Aurora spaceplane, which takes off and lands like an aircraft, enabling rapid mission turnaround. This approach allows for more frequent and affordable access to microgravity for testing and innovation.
- ▪The Runway-to-Space Challenge uses reusable spaceplanes instead of traditional rocket launches to carry research payloads.
- ▪The Aurora spaceplane can reach altitudes of about 62 miles and speeds over Mach 3.5, providing over two minutes of microgravity per flight.
- ▪Aurora has completed more than 60 missions and is designed for rapid turnaround to support frequent and iterative research.
- ▪Dawn Aerospace operates the spaceplane from the Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport.
- ▪CEO Stefan Powell states that Aurora enables faster, lower-cost access to microgravity, helping accelerate early-stage space research.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Innovation Runway-to-Space Challenge brings spaceflight closer A new US competition turns space research into something faster, repeatable and more like aviation By Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report Fox News Published April 28, 2026 4:00pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video 'CyberGuy': Spaceplane breaks barriers, reaching incredible heights, speeds Tech expert Kurt Knutsson explains how Dawn Aerospace is advancing a reusable spaceplane to make space travel more affordable. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! For years, getting anything into space has been slow and expensive. You prepare for months, sometimes years, and you often get one shot to run your experiment. If something does not work, you wait again.
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