Dawn Aerospace breaks ground on Oklahoma spaceplane facility
Dawn Aerospace has broken ground on a $7.5 million operations facility at Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport to support its reusable Aurora spaceplane, with flights planned to begin in 2027 and a customer booking up to 100 flights.
Dawn Aerospace has broken ground on a new $7.5 million facility at Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. The ceremony on Tuesday, 15 October 2026, establishes the physical infrastructure needed to support the company's planned Aurora spaceplane operations at one of the nation's 14 FAA-licensed spaceports.
Facility design supports rapid Aurora turnaround
The 15,000-square-foot facility is engineered to enable mission control, payload integration, maintenance, and flight preparation for Dawn Aerospace's aircraft-like spaceplane operations. The development includes a 5,000-square-foot mission control and operations building and a 10,000-square-foot hangar.
The completed structure will house mission control, avionics and payload workspaces, a flight simulation office, conference rooms, and supporting operational areas. The adjoining hangar will directly support Aurora spaceplane preparation and maintenance activities. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2027.
Funding and agreements enable flight campaign
The project is funded through an appropriation by the Oklahoma state legislature. This builds on a broader agreement with the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) announced in June 2025.
That agreement is valued at approximately $17 million. It covers an Aurora Mk-II spaceplane, ground-support equipment, training, licensing support, and maintenance services. The deal provides for an initial operating program of up to 100 flights in the first year.
Aurora’s capabilities and customer interest validate use case
Dawn Aerospace plans to begin flying its full-performance Aurora spaceplane from Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in 2027. The vehicle is designed to operate like an aircraft, taking off and landing on conventional runways while using rocket propulsion to reach extreme altitudes and speeds.
Aurora is being developed for frequent, lower-cost access to suborbital space. Its intended uses include microgravity research, scientific experiments, space technology testing, target presentation, and high-speed, high-altitude applications. The design enables twice-daily access with a four-hour turnaround time.
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Maximum Speed | Mach 3.7 |
| Maximum Altitude | 100 kilometers |
| Microgravity Duration | Up to 120 seconds |
| Turnaround Time | 4 hours |
Dawn Aerospace has completed 64 test flights of the Aurora spaceplane. In 2024, the vehicle broke the sound barrier and set a world speed record of 118.6 seconds to reach an altitude of 20 kilometers from a runway.
Customer interest is materializing. California-based Astral Materials has booked up to 100 Aurora flights from Infinity One in 2028. The company plans to use the flights to support work on advanced materials and semiconductor manufacturing in microgravity.
Stefan Powell of Dawn Aerospace said, "Aurora is designed to change the economics of spaceflight by making it possible to fly more frequently, with aircraft-like operations and rapid reusability." Dawn Aerospace plans to begin flying its full-performance Aurora spaceplane from Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in 2027.
