Radian Aerospace said it will build a hypersonic reentry vehicle to generate cash, and support the development of its sled-launched single-stage-to-orbit rocketplane.
What it is: The Radian Reusable Reentry Vehicle (R3V) will be a capsule just over six feet high that will fly on launch vehicles as small as Rocket Lab’s Electron. When re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, R3V will endure a hypersonic environment useful for testing components for the Radian One rocketplane—or hypersonic weapons and defenses.
“We’re seeing people wishing to test a range of technologies, from materials to sensors to communications,” Radian CTO Livingston Holder told Payload. “If we have this system available, they can then add an experiment or test capability—and because it’s reusable, they won’t have to spend nearly as much money as they would on a typical hypersonic test.”
Deadline: The Seattle-based company hopes to fly the vehicle in early 2026, although Holder says the company needs to hire more engineers and raise additional funds to get R3V flying. Radian has raised $32M since its founding in 2016, with the last round in 2022.
An old story: The technology overlap between launch vehicles and hypersonic weapons is large enough that it makes an attractive side business for space companies—for example, Rocket Lab’s HASTE program or Ursa Major’s dual-use engine development—or even a full pivot.
In this case, Holder says, the company aims to win revenue-generating contracts even as it proves out thermal protection and other tech for its R1 rocketplane.
Meanwhile, in the UAE: The hypersonic vehicle has been undergoing ground testing in the UAE since last September, with Holder hoping to see short flights in the next 12 months.
