Air Force Research Laboratory and its contractor have demonstrated the integrated performance of the X-60A hypersonic rocket's propulsion system during a recent series of ground tests.
The propulsion system underwent cold-flow and hot-fire trials with realistic procedures and hardware, the U.S. Air Force said Wednesday.
X-60A is designed to perform hypersonic flight for research and development efforts that require an easily accessible rocket able to exceed Mach 5 in speed.
Generation Orbit Launch Services serves as the program's contractor under a small business innovation agreement with AFRL. Ursa Major Technologies provided a Hadley liquid rocket engine for hot-fire and cold-flow testing.
“This test series was a critical step in reducing risk and gathering necessary system integration data in preparation for our upcoming flight tests,” said Barry Hellman, X-60A program manager at AFRL.
The hypersonic rocket will undergo fight-testing from Florida-based Cecil Spaceport for further evaluation and maturation.
