Consortium members:

• University of Adelaide (SA)
• AIMTEK Pty Ltd (QLD)
• The Australian Youth Aerospace Forum; BAE Systems Australia (VIC)
• Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (Italy)
• Teakle Composites Pty Ltd (QLD)
• University of New South Wales (NSW)
• University of Minnesota (USA)
• Defence Science & Technology Organisation (VIC)
• University of Southern Queensland (QLD)
• Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft– und Raumfahrt (DLR) (Germany)
• Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (Japan)

Project contact:

Professor Russell Boyce
Email: russell.boyce@uq.edu.au


This fact sheet is avaliable to download [PDF 76KB]

A $14 million international consortium led by the University of Queensland is leveraging Australia’s world leadership in scramjet technology to develop a new type of scramjet engine capable of reaching Mach 8 (8,600km/h).

Scramjets – or supersonic combustion ramjets - are air-breathing engines capable of travelling at hypersonic speeds beyond Mach 5. The engines offer a safe, reliable and economical means for accessing space for launches of communication satellites.

The Scramjet-based access-to-space systems project is the initial phase of a 20-year project to establish a future Australian scramjet-based access-to-space industry and industry-ready talent pool. It has already achieved success in this with a cohort of highly talented people assembled to work on the project. By addressing key scientific and technological questions, the consortium will conduct a world-first flight-test of a free-flying scramjet at Mach 8, and ground-tests at up to Mach 14.

Cutting-edge research such as this will prove vital in strengthening Australia’s space sector in the future as it seeks to develop space-related capabilities and enhance our international reputation. With a successful outcome, the project will gain global recognition and potentially inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers to consider a career in this field.