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Dawn Aerospace Tech Stack

Suborbital spaceplanes and green satellite propulsion systems

Aviation and Aerospace Component Manufacturing Christchurch, Christchurch 51–200 employees Founded 2017 Privately Held

Dawn Aerospace operates two distinct hardware businesses: reusable suborbital spaceplanes (Aurora) designed for frequent space access, and in-space propulsion systems using green propellants for small satellites. The engineering-heavy hiring mix (24 of 31 open roles) combined with active pain points around flight-test automation, test-site infrastructure, and certification suggests the company is scaling R&D and operational capability in parallel—moving Aurora from demonstrator flights toward commercial cadence while expanding propulsion system production and on-orbit refueling capabilities.

Tech Stack 23 technologies

Core StackSolidWorks MATLAB Python CATIA C++ Linux Solidworks Canva Adobe Creative Cloud Mailchimp Wrike Slack Excel TCP/IP KiCAD Altium Git CAN Thermal Desktop Squarespace Microsoft Office

What Dawn Aerospace Is Building

◆Challenges

Testing next-generation reusable aerospace systems
Improving flight test analysis processes
Developing test site infrastructure
Lower costs
Faster system integration
Increased reliability
Certifying spaceplane operations
Establishing safety frameworks
Implementing continued airworthiness
Tight deadlines on r&d heavy project

▲Active Projects

Satdrive propulsion system
Mk-ii spaceplane development
Hitl testing automation
Next generation spaceplane
Mk-ii ground and flight test
Experimental characterization of propulsion system
Crew training and certification
Sub-orbital flight test planning
Flight test analysis tooling development
Test site infrastructure development

Hiring Activity

Accelerating30 roles · 15 in 30d

Department

Engineering

24

Ops

2

Manufacturing

1

Marketing

1

Sales

1

Seniority

Mid

17

Intern

3

Manager

3

Senior

3

Director

1

Junior

1

Lead

1

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About Dawn Aerospace

Founded in 2017, Dawn Aerospace develops hardware for suborbital spaceflight and satellite propulsion. The spaceplane division focuses on Aurora, a horizontal-takeoff-and-landing vehicle targeting 100 km altitude with multi-daily flight capability; the program has completed 60+ test flights and recently exceeded Mach 1 in powered flight. The propulsion division manufactures green-propellant thrusters (nitrous oxide and propylene) for NanoSat through ESPA Grande-class satellites, with over 150 units deployed across 35 satellites on Electron, Vega, Falcon 9, and Soyuz. Operations span New Zealand (headquarters in Christchurch), Netherlands, France, and the United States, with 51–200 employees.

HeadquartersChristchurch, Christchurch

Company Size51–200 employees

Founded2017

Hiring MarketsNew Zealand, Netherlands, United States

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dawn Aerospace working on?

Aurora Mk-II spaceplane development and test operations; SatDrive green propulsion systems for small satellites; LOOP in-space refueling program; flight-test automation and analysis tooling; crew training and certification for spaceplane operations.

What tech stack does Dawn Aerospace use?

SolidWorks, CATIA, and KiCAD for design; MATLAB and Python for simulation and analysis; Thermal Desktop for thermal modeling; Git for version control; Wrike for project management; Slack for internal communication.