Faster Way To Orbit?
Orbital's Hyper-X Launch Vehicle was successfully tested
Saturday, in a flight that originated from NASA's Dryden Flight
Research Center located at Edwards Air Force Base (CA). The Hyper-X
launch vehicle uses a modified first stage rocket motor, originally
designed and flight-proven aboard Orbital's Pegasus space launch
vehicle, to accelerate NASA's X-43A air-breathing scramjet to seven
times the speed of sound.
Unlike vehicles with conventional rocket engines, which carry
oxygen onboard, the air-breathing X-43A scoops and compresses
oxygen from the atmosphere using the shape of the vehicle's
airframe. This type of propulsion system could potentially increase
payload capacity of future launch vehicles and make high-speed
passenger travel feasible since no onboard supply of oxidizer would
be required.
"We are extremely pleased with the results of the Hyper-X
flight," said Ron Grabe, Executive Vice President and General
Manager of Orbital's Launch Systems Group. "After several years of
detailed analysis, design upgrades and testing to address the
factors that contributed to the failure of the program's first
flight, it is all the more gratifying to have carried out this
successful flight test. This flight was one of the most challenging
missions Orbital has ever conducted and demonstrated our ability to
take on and tackle the toughest technical challenges."
"Our congratulations go out to NASA and all the partners on this
program who persevered to get it right," said Grabe. "We now have
our sights set on a successful third mission to provide even more
critical data to NASA's research into the field of hypersonic
flight and to extend the flight speed record set today to Mach
10."
Flight operations began when NASA's B-52B carrier aircraft took
off and flew a predetermined flight path to a point 50 miles off
the California coast. The Hyper-X vehicle was released from the
B-52 at 2:00 p.m. (PST) approximately 40,000 feet over the Pacific
Ocean. Following rocket motor ignition, the Hyper-X Launch Vehicle,
carrying the X-43A scramjet, accelerated to a velocity of
approximately Mach 7 (or seven times the speed of sound) and
reached an altitude of 95,000 feet. Approximately 90 seconds after
ignition, with the booster at a precise trajectory condition, the
Hyper-X launch vehicle sent commands to the X-43A scramjet, which
then separated from the booster.
Early flight results indicate that the X-43A stabilized, ignited
its scramjet and provided flight data back to NASA engineers.
Following the engine burn, the X-43A executed a number of
aerodynamic maneuvers during its eight-minute coast to an ocean
impact approximately 450 miles from the launch point. After
separation, the spent booster impacted the ocean in a
pre-determined splash area.