APAC Q3 2026 | 15 Hypersonix is an Australian aerospace engineering and advanced manufacturing company specialising in the development of hypersonic technology and hydrogen-powered scramjet aircraft. The company has been built on a foundation of flight-tested technology and advanced propulsion engineering, developing next-generation flight systems for both atmospheric and space-bound applications. We took a closer look below, as Hypersonix has been recognised in the Australian Enterprise Awards 2026. The story of Hypersonix began in 2005 with its Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Dr Michael Smart. A world leader in scramjet technology, Dr Smart is a research field leader in aviation and aerospace engineering. After spending ten years as a Research Scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center’s Scramjet Branch, researching and testing hydrogen-fuelled air-breathing propulsion, Dr Smart returned to Australia. In 2015, Dr Smart successfully led and completed the first flight test of a hydrogen-fuelled scramjet as part of the HIFiRE 7 programme. Conducted by the University of Queensland in collaboration with the US, this programme aimed to study fundamental hypersonic phenomena and develop technologies for future hypersonic flight. The flight test achieved several key technical objectives, including the demonstration of scramjet inlet self-starting at high altitude, while providing valuable data for ongoing research and development in hypersonic propulsion. Dr Smart went on to establish Hypersonix in 2019, with a vision of unlocking new frontiers in hypersonic flight and novel pathways to space. Hypersonix operates at the very forefront of New Space and advanced defence capabilities, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in hypersonic flight, whilst remaining committed to safe, ethical, and responsible innovation. Hypersonix made its first breakthrough in 2021 with the development of the SPARTAN scramjet engine, which successfully completed its ground testing. Built using additive manufacturing and ceramic matrix composites, this engine is designed for mission flexibility and operational control. Unlike conventional scramjets, which rely on glide-based flight, the SPARTAN is capable of turning on and off mid-flight, varying its acceleration and delivering powered boost when required. This enables sustained, manoeuvrable hypersonic flight instead of passive descent. To support its vision of delivering hypersonic access to space and test SPARTAN in true high-speed flight conditions, Hypersonix commenced the development of DART AE in 2023. Combining engineering excellence with clear strategic direction, the company designed, built, and tested DART AE through 2024 before securing contracts with key global programmes. Hypersonix completed a successful Series A capital raise in 2025, securing $46M AUD from Australian and international investors to accelerate manufacturing and aircraft development. DART AE completed its first flight in 2026, delivering a sustainable hypersonic flight capability and validating years of engineering and development. DART AE is the world’s first entirely 3D-printed airframe of a hypersonic launch vehicle, purpose-built for testing hypersonic capabilities with rapid and cost-efficient deployment. Now flight-proven and ready to deliver within two months, this flight platform provides a reliable hypersonic testbed delivery solution. With DART AE, Hypersonix was selected from a field of more than 60 major international aerospace companies competing for the DIU contract under the Hypersonic and High-Cadence Airborne Testing Capabilities (HyCAT1) programme. This initiative was created to test low-cost, highcadence hypersonic flight capabilities and to collect critical data that will shape the next generation of reusable hypersonic flight technology. This was Hypersonix’s first major contract and a key step in the company’s commercialisation process, whilst also making significant strides in positioning Australia as a major player in the international space race. Looking at Hypersonix’s plans for the future, the company’s product roadmap encompasses VISR, a high-speed suborbital Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and rapid airfreight flyer with the ability to accelerate at speeds ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 10, and the Delta Velos Orbiter, a fully reusable hypersonic flight system designed for small satellite launch and constellation replenishment on a non-ballistic trajectory. Built on more than 25 years of global research and development, Hypersonix is redefining high-speed space flight. The company’s hypersonic systems bring together advanced engineering, sustainable propulsion, and a vision for radically faster access to the atmosphere to deliver breakthrough systems that make a real-world impact on a global scale. For continuously pushing the boundaries of hypersonic technology, Hypersonix Launch Systems has been named Aerospace Design and Engineering Specialists 2026. To learn more about Hypersonix’s mission to open new pathways to space, visit the company’s website now. Contact: Matt Hill Company: Hypersonix Web Address: www.hypersonix.com Aerospace Design & Engineering Specialists 2026
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