"This successful test has demonstrated first hypersonic insertion of a payload from a commercial launch vehicle and the team is ready to move forward into the next phase of this program," said Leidos CEO Tom Bell. "It took our MACH-TB team only 49 days to create this innovative technology demonstration, which highlights our ability to deliver on promises."
The inaugural launch took place on June 17 at 9:24 p.m. UTC from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 2 at Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. Rocket Lab was selected by Leidos to provide hypersonic test launch capabilities under the MACH-TB project awarded by Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane through the Strategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) Other Transaction Authority (OTA) vehicle on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense.
"Today marks a significant milestone in our commitment to pushing forward the boundaries of hypersonic innovation," said Dr. Angie Lewis, NSWC Crane Technical Director. "Our approach will accelerate progress so that the nation has the right capabilities to counter and address the threat landscape today and throughout this decisive decade."
The next phase of the program will expand upon this successful test to develop additional opportunities to increase the U.S.' cadence of hypersonic flight testing in support of technology maturation.
"This cutting-edge technology has yet to be developed and is breaking new ground for an important and necessary sector of our industry," concluded Bell." Leidos is proud to manufacture a test bed that can provide the U.S. with an advantage in the great power competition."
Related Links
Leidos
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com
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