Reditus readies first spacecraft for SpaceX launch

"Hypersonics is one of the areas where there has been a tremendous amount of development in recent years," Crum said in an interview.

Driving the news: Reditus recently completed construction of its first spacecraft, ENOS. It has been sent to Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, and is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX rideshare this fall.

• ENOS, weighing some 440 pounds, is expected to stay in orbit for two months, after which it will de-orbit and splash down off Florida for recovery.

• "As we re-enter, we have the relatively unique capability of hitting the atmosphere at north of Mach 25," Crum said. "There are very few things in human existence that go that quickly."

Zoom in: Reditus is billing this first mission, focused on commercial microgravity research and manufacturing, as a demonstration, proving to the world it can bring things back from space.

• "Things are going to get higher in altitude, faster -- and this is just part of the infrastructure that is needed to keep up," Crum said.

State of play: Reditus raised a little more than $7 million last year.

• The startup, based in Atlanta, employs around 12 people.

What we're watching: The progress of Trump 2.0's Golden Dome, and to what degree the $185 billion promise is influencing defense-industrial business decisions.