Accelerating Testing of Space Based Sensors with Reusable High-Speed Effectors

Hermeus is a venture-backed company developing hypersonic aircraft for defense and commercial markets. Hermeus is leveraging private capital and a digitally enabled, vertically integrated, hardware-rich, iterative development approach pioneered in the commercial space industry to deliver dual use, reusable hypersonic aircraft on an accelerated timeline at comparatively low costs. In the face adversary development of increasingly sophisticated offensive capabilities, SDA is developing a Transport Layer consisting of a constellation of 300 to 500+ satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to provide assured, low-latency, and resilient military data and connectivity worldwide. To achieve initial operational capability of the LEO satellites will require a high-cadence, affordable testing effector. The solution to the testing requirement is a high-speed reusable aircraft. Alternative one-use effectors, are both cost prohibitive and inefficient. Hermeus' commercially developed high speed aircraft have the capability to serve SDA's effector needs at an affordable rate and high-tempo test schedule. Quarterhorse, Hermeus' Mach 4+ demonstrator aircraft, is under development and on track to serve as an effector based on SDA's IOC goals. Technical feasibility of Hermeus' solution has been demonstrated through a combination of conceptual design, analysis, hardware development, and testing. Specifically, propulsion transition for the Chimera engine system between turbojet mode and ramjet mode marks a major milestone on Quarterhorse’s path to achieving in-flight mode-transition.