AURORA light spaceplane
A planned two-stage launch system for small and medium satellites whose reusable first stage is a spaceplane that takes off and lands on a runway, paired with an expendable upper stage.
Why it matters
A launcher that flies from ordinary runways and returns like an aircraft would not need a launch pad. POLARIS says the same vehicle could also carry hypersonic research and defense payloads, giving it more than one market.
How the technology works
POLARIS uses linear aerospike engines, a rocket design in which exhaust flows along an open ramp rather than through a bell nozzle, keeping efficiency as air pressure drops with altitude. The company has de-risked the airframe with seven scaled demonstrators and about 250 test flights, and has run 49 aerospike hot-fire tests, according to its site.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction