Imagine an aircraft that can fly at rocket speeds, seven times the speed of sound. NASA engineers are preparing for the first in a series of test flights that will turn imagination into reality with the X-43A and its hypersonic engine.
The first of three scheduled test flights of NASA’s scramjet-propelled aircraft could come as early as June 2. A second flight is scheduled for this winter and a final X-43A flight is set for late next year.
Typical of any “X,” or experimental program, X-43A will fly only when weather conditions and all technical factors point to the best chance of success.
The X-43A, 12-feet long with a 5-foot wingspan, will be dropped from a B-52 bomber flying from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. After being boosted by a Pegasus rocket, the X43A will fly at speeds approaching Mach 7 before splashing into the Pacific Ocean.
If the first flight occurs Saturday, June 2, a press conference will be held a couple of hours after the B-52 carrier aircraft returns to base. NASA Television will carry the news conference and will air video replays of the X-43A flight.
