Groundbreaking spaceplane crashes before world-first aerospike rocket test

The MIRA I, from German aerospace startup Polaris Raumflugzeuge, was traveling at approximately 105 mph (169 km/h) during takeoff when a “landing gear steering reaction” plus a side wind caused a “hard landing event,” rendering the space plane inoperab… Continue reading Groundbreaking spaceplane crashes before world-first aerospike rocket test

DARPA nails latest US hypersonic missile test flight

A DARPA-led project has successfully completed the final test of Lockheed Martin’s Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) missile. Powered by an Aerojet Rocketdyne scramjet, the craft reached a speed in excess of Mach 5 over a course of 300 nm … Continue reading DARPA nails latest US hypersonic missile test flight

NASA’s SLS rocket engine completes successful hot-fire test

NASA finally got the core stage of its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket up and running for the first time today, completing an eight-minute hot-fire test of its four RS025 engines at the space agency’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississip… Continue reading NASA’s SLS rocket engine completes successful hot-fire test

Aerojet Rocketdyne hypersonic scramjet engine sets new thrust record

Aerojet Rocketdyne and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have achieved a new record thrust output from a scramjet engine, providing a boost for hypersonic flight. A year of ground testing saw the engine generate 13,000 lb of thrust with over … Continue reading Aerojet Rocketdyne hypersonic scramjet engine sets new thrust record