This spaceplane can track satellites in near-Earth orbit
On July 17, 2025, Dawn Aerospace's unmanned Aurora spaceplane soared from New Zealand, reaching 67,000 feet at just over the speed of sound.
Its mission? Testing out Morning Sparrow—an advanced optical system designed to spot and track satellites in very low Earth orbit.
Morning Sparrow satellite tracker
Built by Scout Space, Morning Sparrow uses a mix of wide and narrow sensors to create detailed 3D images of objects that suddenly appear in near space.
This helps keep up with fast-launching satellite swarms that are tough to monitor using older tech.
Aurora's capabilities
Aurora isn't just fast (it can hit Mach 1.03) and climb high (reaching 67,000 feet)—it's also reusable and can operate from conventional runways.
That means it's perfect for quick-response missions whenever something new pops up in Earth's outer neighborhood.