Polaris will build a two-stage, horizontal take-off and fully reusable hypersonic research vehicle, featuring a linear aerospike rocket engine. German company Polaris Spaceplanes announced on Jan. 27, ...

The aerospike engine—which uses air pressure to shape the downward force needed to launch a spacecraft—has been on the cusp of entering mainstream rocketry for decades. Now, a new company called Leap ...

The German government has contracted Polaris Spaceplanes to build and flight test a reusable hypersonic air vehicle.