The state of Oklahoma broke ground Oct. 13 on a $7.5 million operations facility and spaceplane hangar for Dawn Aerospace at Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat, where Vigilant Aerospace Systems’ FlightHorizon TEMPO software provides real-time airspace awareness to support advanced flight testing. Funded by the Oklahoma Legislature, the new facility will support Dawn’s reusable, rocket-powered Aurora spaceplane, advancing the spaceport’s operating capabilities alongside its existing airspace surveillance infrastructure.
“For years, we’ve talked about Oklahoma’s potential in commercial spaceflight. Now we’re putting that potential into motion,”
said Grayson Ardies, CEO of OSIDA and executive director of ODAA, in the state’s announcement. Expected to be completed in fall 2027, the development includes a 5,000-square-foot operations facility and a 10,000-square-foot hangar with space for aircraft preparation, maintenance and payload work.
Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO and co-founder of Vigilant Aerospace, described what the groundbreaking represents:
“This groundbreaking brings Infinity One closer to an operating environment where advanced aircraft and spacecraft can move from development into regular flight testing. We’re excited to support that future with airspace awareness software that helps operators understand surrounding traffic, anticipate potential conflicts and review their flights. Oklahoma is building the infrastructure to turn the next generation of aviation into practical operations.”
Airspace Awareness to Support Future Flight Testing
Vigilant Aerospace supports the spaceport through its FlightHorizon TEMPO deployment, which provides real-time airspace awareness across 10,000 square kilometers. The software uses multiple surveillance radars and transponder receivers to provide a shared, real-time traffic picture, automatic “detect-and-avoid” (DAA) advisories, and detailed flight records. Alongside the new ground facilities, these capabilities can help support longer-range uncrewed aircraft testing and planned spaceplane operations by giving operators visibility into nearby traffic and data for post-flight review. The groundbreaking advances the physical infrastructure needed to put that broader testing environment to work.
About Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport
Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport is a spaceport and industrial park in Burns Flat, Oklahoma. Located at Clinton-Sherman Airport, it features a 13,503-foot primary runway and infrastructure supporting aviation, aerospace development and reusable launch vehicle operations.
About ODAA
The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics supports Oklahoma’s aviation, aerospace, defense and space industries through infrastructure investment, industry partnerships and workforce development. Through its operation of OSIDA, the department manages Infinity One Oklahoma Spaceport.
About Dawn Aerospace
Dawn Aerospace develops space transportation technologies, including the reusable Aurora spaceplane, designed for runway-based access to suborbital space for research and technology testing.
Vigilant Aerospace is the leading developer of multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS or drones). The company’s product, FlightHorizon, is based on two NASA patents and uses data from multiple sources to display a real-time picture of the air traffic around a UAS and to provide automatic avoidance maneuvers to prevent collisions. The software is designed to meet industry technical standards, to provide automatic safety and to allow UAS to safely fly beyond the sight of the pilot. The software has won multiple industry awards and the company has had contracts and users at NASA, the FAA, the U.S. Department of Defense and with a variety of drone development programs. Visit our website at www.VigilantAerospace.com