X-43A Status Update: Captive Carry Rehearsal Flight Postponed
The captive carry flight of NASA’s X-43A hypersonic research aircraft
scheduled for Sept. 7 has been delayed due to hydraulic leakage on
the B-52B launch airplane.
This captive carry flight is basically a dress rehearsal for the
planned free flight later this fall that is targeted to reach a speed
of up to Mach 10, or about 7,000 mph. The captive flight duplicates
all operational functions of the planned Mach 10 flight and serves as
a training exercise for staff, except that the X-43A and its modified
Pegasus booster is not released from the launch aircraft.
Although the leaking hydraulic system is being replaced, scheduling
conflicts with the U.S. Navy’s test range over the Pacific Ocean
could force postponement of the captive carry flight for several days
or weeks. No new flight date has yet been scheduled.
The X-43A is powered by a revolutionary supersonic-combustion ramjet
– or "scramjet" – engine. It is part of the Hyper-X hypersonic
research program, a joint effort of NASA’s Langley Research Center,
Hampton, Va., and Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
For further information about the X-43A and NASA’s Hyper-X
hypersonics research program on the Internet, log on to:
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/x43-main.html
For more information about NASA aeronautics research on the Internet, visit:
