The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) and Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) have joined a consortium of leading global aerospace and defence investors to back a $46 million Series A funding round for Hypersonix Launch Systems Pty Ltd, a Brisbane-based startup developing reusable hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft. The company currently employs 45 people in Brisbane across aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, and testing roles.<\/p>\n
The round was led by High Tor Capital, a UK investor in national security and frontier technology, with European defence company Saab and Polish family office RKKVC also supporting the raise. North Ridge Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.<\/p>\n
High Tor Capital CEO James Chiswell said his team saw enormous potential in the Hypersonix platforms.\u201cDART AE and VISR are transforming how we think about access to the edge of space and high-speed defence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The NRFC\u2019s $10 million equity stake is its first defence sector investment. NRFC CEO David Gall said defence is one of the NRFC\u2019s priority areas. \u201cWe see huge potential in backing Australian companies and innovations that build our sovereign capability while also tapping into the global market for hypersonic and counter hypersonic capabilities among our friends and allies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
QIC Ventures Partner Nicholas Guest said Hypersonix represents a rare opportunity to back a local company at the forefront of globally significant hypersonic technology. \u201cThis is breakthrough technology allowing Australia and its allies to fly faster, further, and more often with an unmatched combination of speed, sustainability, and cost advantage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Pioneering Sustainable Hypersonic Flight
\nFounded in 2019, Hypersonix is focused on developing a new class of sustainable, high-performance flight systems powered by green hydrogen. Its proprietary SPARTAN scramjet engine is 3D-printed, reusable and capable of reaching Mach 12 with no moving parts.<\/p>\n
Unlike conventional scramjets powered by kerosene, SPARTAN uses hydrogen, producing zero CO2 emissions and offering are usable, low-maintenance solution for a range of high-speed defence and aerospace missions. The technology was developed by Dr Michael Smart, co-founder of Hypersonix, former Chair of Hypersonic Propulsion at the University of Queensland and former NASA research scientist.<\/p>\n
\u201cSPARTAN is more than a propulsion system. It\u2019s a breakthrough in reusable hypersonic flight. What we\u2019re building is a sovereign platform that\u2019s clean, cost-effective, and engineered for the real world,\u201d said Dr Smart.<\/p>\n
Co-founder David Waterhouse said the capital raise was a defining moment for Australia\u2019s aerospace ambitions. \u201cHypersonix was founded on the belief that Australia could lead the world in sustainable hypersonic flight,\u201d he said. \u201cThis raise validates that vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
CEO Matt Hill said the funding would accelerate Hypersonix\u2019s mission to deliver operationally useful platforms that align with both national and allied priorities. \u201cThis raise marks a major milestone as we prepare to launch the world\u2019s first hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving Australia\u2019s sovereign investor in manufacturing capability behind such a critical strategic capability sends a powerful message. It shows real confidence in our mission and highlights the importance of building clean, reusable aerospace systems that meet today\u2019s national security needs while shaping tomorrow\u2019s industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chairman Arthur Sinodinos, former US Ambassador to Washington and Australian Federal Minister for Science and Industry, said Hypersonix represents the kind of company Australia must support if it wants to lead in future industries. \u201cThis investment is a strong vote of confidence in Hypersonix and in Australia\u2019s ability to lead the world in next-generation aerospace,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s also a sign that we\u2019re stepping up to develop sovereign capabilities that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASA and Pentagon-Backed Flight Tests
\nThe Series A will help fund the NASA-backed and Rocket Lab boosted flight of DART AE – a 3.5-metre-long hypersonic vehicle powered by SPARTAN. DART AE will fly under the US Department of Defense\u2019s HyCAT program, delivered by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and launched from NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.<\/p>\n
The DIU is the only US defense organisation solely focused on accelerating the adoption of disruptive commercial technologies by the military. Hypersonix was the first prototype contract awarded under HyCAT, selected from over 60 applicants.<\/p>\n
The mission is expected to mark the world\u2019s first sustained hypersonic flight using green hydrogen.<\/p>\n
Proceeds from the raise will contribute the establishment of advanced manufacturing capabilities in Queensland and also fast-track development of Hypersonix\u2019s second platform: VISR (Velos, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) – an 8-metre-long, fully reusable, hydrogen-fuelled hypersonic aircraft for ISR missions, rapid delivery, and space system testing. VISR will use four SPARTAN engines and advanced ceramic matrix composites to withstand the extreme thermal demands of sustained hypersonic flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) and Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) have joined a consortium of leading global…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[49,48,66,306],"class_list":["post-247612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}