A new hypersonic flight experiment developed under the iLAuNCH Trailblazer Fast Track Programme has successfully launched as part of the
German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) MAPHEUS-16 mission, marking another major milestone for Australian space research. The GAsFEx-2 (Germany Australia Flight Experiment) project is led by the
University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) in collaboration with the
www.tum.de/en Technical University of Munich (TUM), the DLR’s Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA), and Queensland-based aerospace startup HyperFlight Systems.
The experiment aims to establish a flight-proven capability for cost-effective hypersonic testing, offering a novel ‘ride-along’ approach that allows small aerothermodynamic experiment payloads to share sounding rocket missions. This approach significantly reduces the cost and complexity of hypersonic flight testing by as much as 95% compared to traditional standalone rocket missions.
Building on the GAsFEx-1 flight in 2024, the latest mission incorporates enhanced avionics and improved measurement and recovery mechanisms to strengthen the platform’s capability for future commercial and research applications. The successful launch and recovery of GAsFEx-2 represents a major outcome of the iLAuNCH Trailblazer Fast Track Program, which accelerates high-impact projects between industry and research to advance Australia’s sovereign space capability.
Professor Ingo Jahn, project lead at UniSQ’s Hypersonics and Rocketry Group, said: “This successful flight is a key step toward making hypersonic flight testing more accessible, affordable, and reliable. By demonstrating our ability to design, manufacture, and fly ride-along hypersonic payloads, we’re opening new opportunities for industry and academia. Flight data is critical in the development of hypersonic technology — to validate systems, evaluate new materials, or test theoretical models and computational simulation tools.”
The collaboration with DLR’ MORABA provided access to the forward nosecone of the MAPHEUS-16 payload, where the UniSQ-led team integrated their avionics and measurement system to monitor flight conditions and measure temperatures at hypersonic flight speeds during the ascend phase of the vehicle.
Rideshare experimentMarcus Hörschgen-Eggers from DLR MORABA explained: “Within DLR’s well-established sounding-rocket programme MAPHEUS, MORABA investigated into a possibility to enhance in-flight measurements with focus on aerothermodynamic parameter. In order to facilitate the integration of additional measurement units into the experimental payload infrastructure, special attention was set on the autonomous design of the rideshare experiment without interfering with the main payload.
“In close collaboration with UniSQ, the GAsFEx measurement system was integrated and function tested at MORABA facilities before the launch mission commenced. The partnership with the Technical University of Munich (TUM) closes the loop towards the numerical monitoring of the in-flight measurements resulting in a unique and valuable joint data set.”
Industry partner HyperFlight Systems contributed avionics hardware and design expertise to the project, gaining flight heritage for newly developed systems designed for hypersonic applications.
Robet Pietsch, principal engineer of HyperFlight Systems, said: “This collaboration provides a platform for us to prove new avionics designs in a relevant hypersonic environment. Working alongside UniSQ and international partners not only accelerates our product development but also strengthens Australia’s aerospace capability by building local expertise in hypersonic flight systems.”
The successful flight establishes UniSQ’s capability to offer complementary flight test and ground testing for hypersonic technology development. Hypersonic flight conditions experienced in the atmosphere during GAsFEx can be matched in UniSQ’s hypersonic wind tunnel TUSQ, enabling correctly scaled flight conditions in ground testing. The project team is creating one of the few integrated hypersonic validation pathways in the world, cementing UniSQ’s position as a global leader in hypersonic research.