Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City, and Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, are praising the announcement that Dawn Aerospace will bring a new spaceplane, capable of flying loads to the edge of space, to western Oklahoma.

The Aurora Mark 2 suborbital spaceplane, which will fly from the Oklahoma Air & Space Port in Burns Flat, can carry payloads to the edge of space and return on a runway. Flights may begin operation as soon as 2027.

"The arrival of Dawn Aerospace and its cutting-edge Aurora spaceplane shows that Oklahoma is at the forefront of the future of aerospace," Archer said. "Bringing the Aurora spaceplane to Burns Flat opens the door to high-tech jobs and a future-driven economy, including new opportunities for microgravity research that will help bolster Oklahoma's growing biotech and pharmaceutical industries. I’m incredibly excited to see our region become a launchpad for American innovation."

"We've been working toward making the Spaceport into a first-class facility for space flights for quite some time," Moore said. "To see this partnership come to fruition is gratifying. It truly positions Oklahoma as a leader of the aerospace and defense industries and will benefit not only Western Oklahoma but our entire state."

The $17 million partnership between Dawn Aerospace and the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) encompasses both the vehicle and an operations team, with up to 100 flight days and 200 flights planned in total after initial testing.

The Aurora Mark 2 is a reusable spaceplane capable of carrying small payloads to 100 kilometers, or just over 62 miles. Unlike traditional rockets, it takes off and lands horizontally from a runway. Dawn Aerospace will train an Oklahoma-based team in New Zealand before flights begin at the Oklahoma Air & Space Port.

With a nearly 3-mile-long runway and a designated space flight corridor, Space Port Oklahoma is one of 14 FAA-licensed space ports in the United States.