Firehawk Aerospace Announces Development of 30-Square-Mile Launch Range for Hybrid Rocket Testing in West Texas
DALLAS, November 1, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Firehawk Aerospace (“Firehawk” or “the Company”), a hybrid rocket engine design and manufacturing company, announced on Nov. 1, 2023, the development of a 30-square-mile launch range in West Texas. The site will serve as a testing range for the Company’s current and future flight test contracts for the United States government and other partners.
"The formation of this range has been two years in the making. Now Firehawk will be able to manufacture, ground test, and fly its engines all at Firehawk facilities, saving the customer time and money," said Will Edwards, Firehawk CEO.
The range will enable deployment of test platforms to validate the hybrid rocket propulsion technology with prototype flight vehicles anticipated to be flown at the range in the near future.
Testing flight vehicles on government ranges, which is the current standard procedure, involves multiple regulatory and scheduling processes. Firehawk's development of a self-managed range enables rapid testing and deployment of vehicles while allowing them to maintain vertically integrated operations.
"One of the major barriers to the agility of aerospace and defense companies, in a larger sense, is the limited availability of launch and test ranges for flight testing," said Justin Karl, Firehawk CTO. "This deal speaks to the commitment of our partners in developing strategic assets for the U.S. and better responding as the nature of the engagements and the development process evolve."
By internalizing development to Company headquarters and onto their own range, Firehawk anticipates being able to test, iterate, and innovate on faster timelines and at a reduced cost.
Currently, Firehawk manufactures their product at their Dallas headquarters and performs static fire tests of their hybrid rocket engines at their two-acre test site in Midland, Texas. The new launch range will enable testing of the propulsion system in flight.
About Firehawk Aerospace
Firehawk is a hybrid rocket engine innovation and manufacturing company that enables the next generation of aerospace and defense systems with engines built for performance, cost-effectiveness, and reliability. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and founded in 2019 by Ronald Jones, Will Edwards, and Steve Edwards, Firehawk’s 3D-UltraTM Hybrid Rocket Engine follows a streamlined and scalable design process that shortens production times, reduces cost by up to 90 percent, and features 3D printed propulsion fuel. For more information, visit www.firehawkaerospace.com
Source: Firehawk Aerospace
