Developing rocket-free, reusable hypersonic launch systems (Ram Accelerator) for defense, space and energy.
General Hypersonics
USA (headquarters; location details not published)New on Amplifa
About General Hypersonics
General Hypersonics is developing a rocket-free, reusable launch system for hypersonic flight and access to space based on ram accelerator technology. The HyperCore propulsion system remains on the ground and accelerates projectiles to Mach 5+ (approx. 1.7 km/s exit velocity) by means of controlled gas combustion in a pipeline, without conventional first-stage boosters. The company conducts hypersonic test campaigns for defense customers and NASA and offers launch variants as road-mobile, fixed-site and offshore platforms (RigLaunch™). The same physics is used under the name HyperBore for industrial applications: reusable hypersonic impactors for geothermal drilling, rare-earth extraction (including Dy, Tb, Er) and infrastructure tunneling. General Hypersonics holds an exclusive license to ram accelerator patents from the University of Washington with more than 60 patents. Customers include the Department of Defense, NASA, the Missile Defense Agency, the US Armed Forces, and Shell.
- Site
- USA (headquarters; location details not published)
- Processes
- Hypersonic/high-speed test campaigns (supersonic to Mach 5+), Rocket-free launch of smaller and larger payloads (ground-, mobile- and sea-based), Road-mobile, fixed-site and offshore launch platforms (RigLaunch™), Reusable hypersonic impactors for drilling/exploration applications (HyperBore), Deep geothermal drilling, Rare-earth extraction (including Dy, Tb, Er), Infrastructure and tunneling technology, Licensing of ram accelerator IP (60+ patents)
- Materials
- Ram Accelerator, Hypersonic Impactors, Offshore Launch Platform
- Industries
- Defense/Munitions (Missile Defense), Space/Civil Space, Geothermal/Energy, Mining/Rare Earths, Tunneling/Infrastructure
- 01
Ram accelerator technology development (UW license)
- 02
HyperCore propulsion system
- 03
Field tests and hypersonic test campaigns
- 04
Launch operations (road-mobile/fixed site/RigLaunch™)
- 05
HyperBore impactors for energy/mining/tunneling
Technology & Processes
Ram Accelerator
Ground-based propulsion system that converts air and gases into kinetic energy and accelerates projectiles to Mach 5+.
Hypersonic Impactors
Reusable impactors for hypersonic drilling/exploration applications in geothermal energy, mining and tunneling.
Offshore Launch Platform
Converts an offshore platform into a blue-water launch site.
Systems & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 2015
Start of the long-standing commercial energy-application partnership with Shell.
Exclusive license to University of Washington ram accelerator IP, in place for over 10 years, more than 60 patents.
- 2025
Department of Defense SBIR Phase II Hypersonic Program, USD 1.7 million (April 2025).
- 2025
Reusable high-speed launch operations in real field conditions for NASA and industry; flights above Mach 4.
- 2026
MDA SHIELD IDIQ prime contractor status, USD 151 billion pool (January 2026); field demonstration with 6 test flights in 2 days according to DoD customer.