German launch startup HyImpulse has confirmed that its SR75 rocket and all related support systems have been boxed up and have embarked on the long journey to Australia.
SR75 is a single-stage suborbital launch vehicle that is designed to be capable of delivering up to 250 kilograms to a maximum altitude of around 200 kilometres. The vehicle features one of the company’s HyPLOX-75 hybrid rocket motors, which are powered by candle wax and liquid oxygen.
The maiden flight of SR75 had initially been slated to occur from SaxaVord in the United Kingdom. In fact, HyImpulse had received approval for the flight from the UK Civil Aviation Authority in mid-2023. However, with financial issues forcing work on the site to be temporarily slowed, HyImpulse was forced to look elsewhere for the maiden flight of SR75.
At the Space Tech Expo in Bremen, Germany, in November 2023, HyImpulse announced that it had selected to conduct the maiden flight of SR75 from the South Launch Koonibba Test Range in Australia. The selection of Australia for the maiden flight appears to have largely been driven by the administrative ease of the process.
“Having Southern Launch manage the launch campaign for us means we can focus on the vehicle and use our expertise in the best way possible,” HyImpulse CTO Ulrich Fischer said.
When the move to Australia was announced, HyImpulse projected that the maiden flight of SR75 would occur in March of this year.
In addition to being a chance to validate SR75 as an effective suborbital launch system, the flight will also serve to flight certify several critical elements of the company’s larger SL1 launch vehicle. This larger vehicle is designed to be capable of delivering 500-kilogram payloads to low Earth orbit. The first and second stages of the three-stage SL1 vehicle will be powered by clusters of the HyPLOX-75 hybrid rocket motor that will be debuted aboard SR75.
