Germany advances with reusable hypersonic vehicle program (Photo: Polaris)
The German company Polaris Spaceplanes announced on January 27, 2026, that it has received a contract to build and flight-test a reusable hypersonic vehicle.
The contract was issued by the Federal Office of Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw), according to the website The Aviationist. According to the company, the vehicle must be ready for flight by the end of 2027.
Named Hypersonic Test and Experimentation Vehicle (HYTEV), it was described as a two-stage hypersonic research vehicle, with horizontal takeoff and fully reusable, with the size and maximum takeoff weight of a fighter jet.
On its LinkedIn page, Polaris stated that the project has both civil and military applications, serving as a platform for experimental testing and small satellite launch platform.
“We are extremely pleased to announce that Polaris has received a BAAINBw contract to manufacture and operate a two-stage hypersonic research vehicle, with horizontal takeoff and fully reusable,” said the post.
The project is the result of nearly two years of preparatory work, according to the company, after contracts with BAAINBw in April 2023 and February 2025 for the development of a linear aerospike rocket engine and the design of the HYTEV, respectively.
The company designated the aerospike engine as AS-1 and has been testing the small-scale demonstrators, the MIRA II and MIRA III, for over a year, having achieved some key milestones so far.
The MIRA aircraft are largely of the flying wing type, with two large winglets and four large air intakes protruding above the leading edge of the wing. The aerospike engine sits on the centerline, running through the spine of the aircraft, between the four exhausts of the two turbofan engines.
Hartpunkt, citing unidentified sources within the company, estimated the expected payload weight for space at 1,000 kg, a predicted hypersonic speed above Mach 5, and stated that a potential mission would be “reconnaissance missions outside the atmosphere.”
“We are extremely proud of the continued trust the Bundeswehr has in our capabilities. To the best of our knowledge, a contract for a comparable system has never been awarded to an entity in Europe, perhaps not even in the world,” the post on Polaris‘ LinkedIn continued.
Photo: Polaris Spaceplanes. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
