Ibadan, 27 August 2024. – Scout Space Inc. has announced its plans for its first demonstration of a novel very low Earth orbit (vLEO) Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capability, aboard a reusable, taskable, sub-orbital spaceplane platform.
This proof-of-concept mission, dubbed “Morning Sparrow”, aims towards a significant leap in responsive space operations and introduces a 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 advantages for defense operators with taskable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Dawn Aerospace’s Mk-II Aurora will consequently carry out this mission as its taskable design and maneuverability enable rapid deployment of Scout’s Sparrow payloads. As a result, it provides a responsive platform for urgent intelligence-gathering in time-sensitive situations.
Furthermore, 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.
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.
Speaking on the mission, Philip Hover-Smoot, CEO of Scout Space Inc, said, “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. This ‘first-of-its-kind’ tactically responsive vLEO SDA capability introduces a significant new tool for space defense operators.”
