The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has successfully launched its ATHEAt flight experiment from Andoya, Norway, marking a major advance in reusable space transportation technology. The sounding rocket lifted off on 6 October 2025 at 10:45 local time, flying for approximately four minutes and surpassing Mach 9 for two of those minutes - conditions comparable to atmospheric re-entry.

During the mission, the rocket climbed beyond 30 kilometers in altitude, with onboard sensors capturing extensive data on aerothermal loads and structural performance. "With the ATHEAt flight experiment, we have succeeded in flying at high Mach numbers for much longer than in our previous projects," said project manager Ali Gulhan, who heads DLR's Supersonic and Hypersonic Technologies Department. "We have now re

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