top of page
Runway-to-Space---Spaceplane-Challenge---Infinity-One-Runway.jpg

FLY YOUR EXPERIMENT
TO SPACE IN 2027!

Suborbital Spaceplane Challenge

SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

OSIDA-Full_Stack-White.webp
ODAA Logo - white.png
This spaceplane challenge is brought to you by The State of Oklahoma, proudly flying the Aurora suborbital spaceplane from Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport. T&Cs apply.

Suborbital Spaceplane
Challenge

          The State of Oklahoma's Suborbital Research & Academic Competition​

OSIDA Logo - white_White.png

25

FLIGHTS TO
BE WON

$5 Million

OF FLIGHT VALUE TO BE WON

​​Test payloads in microgravity, high altitude, and Mach 3.7 boost-glide missions.

Final number of missions and allocations are subject to vehicle availability, regulatory approval, and campaign scheduling.

Finalists Announced

1. AstroTwitch – Muscle Tissue Research

  • Lead: Oklahoma State University

  • Partner: ETH Zurich

​

2. Carbon-Carbon Leading Edge – High-Speed Thermal Protection System

  • Lead: University of Tulsa – High Temperature Composite Materials Research Group

​

3. DAWN@Drexel – Cosmic Ray Tomography

  • Lead: Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research & Education

  • Partner: Drexel University

​

4. INFLATE – Inflatable Structures in Microgravity

  • Lead: Oklahoma State University – Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research & Education

​

5. In-Space Fabrication of Electrical-Mechanical Integrated Systems
Lead: University of Oklahoma


6. Low-Cost Star Tracker Array

  • Lead: University of Oklahoma – School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

  • Partners: University of Colorado Colorado Springs – Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | University of Oklahoma – Students for the Exploration and Development of Space

7. MicroFerment – Space Food Bioreactor

  • Lead: University of Oklahoma

  • Partner: University of Colorado Colorado Springs

​

8. MitoTRACER – Cancer Cell Mitochondrial Transfer

  • Lead: University of Oklahoma – Health Sciences Center

  • Partners: University of Pittsburgh – Trivedi Institute for Space & Global Biomedicine | McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine | Washington University School of Medicine

​

9. Modular Tank PMD Test Bed

  • Lead: Oklahoma Baptist University

  • Partner: Quantum Space

​

10. Mushroom Mycelium Recovery After Microgravity

  • Lead: University of Oklahoma

  • Partners: Pikes Peak Mycological Society | University of Colorado Colorado Springs

​

11. Seed Viability for Lunar and Deep Space Missions

  • Lead: University of Oklahoma – Students for the Exploration and Development of Space

  • Partners: University of Colorado Colorado Springs | University of Oklahoma Botanical Society

​

12. T-GRAV – Human T-Cell Response to Reduced Gravity

  • Lead: Langston University

UPDATE: October 27th, 2026

Congratulations to all our finalists below.

We're excited to announce the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 selected for the next stage of the State of Oklahoma's Suborbital Spaceplane Challenge.

UP NEXT:

  • We'll be emailing all of our finalists about the next stage of the competition over the coming week.

  • The winners of the Suborbital Spaceplane Challenge will be announced live in Oklahoma the week of the 16th Nov, details to follow.

Calling for Science and Research Interest in:

Runway-to-Space - Themes_edited.png

CHALLENGE

Secure a Flight Opportunity on Aurora

The Suborbital Spaceplane Challenge is a competition that will offer U.S.-based research institutions the opportunity to engage with Dawn Aerospace on designing, testing, and flying their payloads aboard Aurora. ​

​

Selected winners will be able to fly payloads of

  • up to 15 kg (33 lbs),

  • to altitudes approaching 100 km (328,000 ft),

  • with up to 127 seconds of microgravity.

​​​​​​

Aurora-Payload-Hatch-B 2_edited.jpg

DAWN AEROSPACE

What Dawn Aerospace
Will Provide:

  • ​Flight opportunity (suborbital, boost-glide or custom profile)

    • Up to 5 flights per flight submission

  • Mission planning and trajectory design

  • Payload integration interface

  • Media kit

​

​

UNIVERSITY / RESEARCH INSTITUTION

What You Need To Provide

  • ​Designing and funding your payload hardware

  • Shipping payload to Oklahoma

  • On-site personnel (if required)

  • Insurance and institutional compliance

  • Integration readiness documentation

  • Meeting all safety and interface requirements

  • Participants are responsible for ensuring their payload complies with all applicable laws, safety requirements, and export control regulations.

​​​

Submission Key Dates

​Key Dates

  • SUBMISSIONS CLOSED - 5:00 PM CDT 25th Sept 2026

  • Finalists Announced (Updated): 27th October 2026

  • Selected winners Announced: 18th November 2026

  • Payload Flight-Ready Deadline: Sept 2027

​​

Dates subject to change. Updates will be made via Dawn Aerospace's website.​

​

SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

​

OSIDA-Full_Stack-Dark Blue.png
ODAA Logo - black.png

This challenge is proudly brought to you by the State of Oklahoma.

bottom of page