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Three Rockets Launched in Just One Day, for U.S. Army’s Hypersonic Weapons Program

Hypersonic technologies for military and civilian applications are becoming increasingly important, and vehicles that travel at the highest speeds are used to test these technologies fast, effectively, and with lower costs.
Sandia launched three sounding rockets on the same day, within a hypersonic weapons program. 7 photos
Photo: Mike Bejarano and Rana Weaver
Sandia's Solar TowerSandia's Solar TowerShaker-Shock TestSandia Science and Technology ParkExperimental Impact Mechanics LabSounding Rockets
The well-known Sandia National Laboratories, a federally-funded research and development center (FFRDC) that has been an important contributor to technology development for over 70 years, announced that it has successfully accomplished the first mission in a new Hypersonic Rocket program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Called “High Operational Tempo for Hypersonics,” this program is part of the nation’s hypersonic modernization strategy, which also includes the Navy’s “Conventional Prompt Strike”, and the Army’s “Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon” programs.

This first mission’s objective is to accelerate the development of 23 technologies. Sandia successfully launched three sounding rockets in succession, on the same day, for a fast testing pace and reduced costs. The experiment was carried out on October 20, at NASA’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility, in Virginia.

Not only were these rockets launched on the same day, but it took only one year to build them and six weeks to unpack, assemble and test them at the flight range before the launch.

The rockets carried experimental sensors, communication devices and materials developed for hypersonic missiles. The objective was to test how they performed during launch and reentry. Sounding rockets are typically used to collect scientific data high up in the Earth’s atmosphere.

According to Ben English, Sandia program manager, these types of rockets have multiple advantages. They can obtain more precise data, compared to ground-based flight simulators, they can be launched more often and at lower costs than fully-fledged hypersonic vehicles.

The three recently launched rockets briefly reached Mach 5 speeds during the 260-mile () ascent and reentry, but Sandia plans to increase the hypersonic flight time for the next launch, scheduled for 2022. Hypersonic weapons development also requires experiments that can be conducted as fast and as accurately as possible.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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