NASA Readying for Supersonic Decelerator Flight Test June 2-12

Welcome to the brand-new Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project blog! NASA is preparing for the second test flight of this innovative technology demonstrator, set to occur over the Pacific Ocean during our June 2-12 launch window. Our team recently completed booster integration with the test vehicle at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii — our temporary base of operations for the launch test.

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project team is readying the test vehicle by integrating the Star 48 motor into the test vehicle. June 2, 2015, will mark the second test flight of a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.
NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project team is readying the test vehicle by integrating the Star 48 motor into the test vehicle. June 2, 2015, will mark the second test flight of a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.
NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project team is readying the test vehicle by integrating the Star 48 motor into the test vehicle. June 2, 2015, will mark the second test flight of a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.
NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project team is readying the test vehicle by integrating the Star 48 motor into the test vehicle. June 2, 2015, will mark the second test flight of a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space from the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.

In the days ahead, we’ll share news and images leading up to the opening of the launch window, and we’ll tell you how to watch selected portions of the flight test live on UStream and NASA TV. Stay tuned!

More about LDSD

The upcoming test flight will simulate the supersonic entry and descent speeds a spacecraft would reach when traveling through the Martian atmosphere. The project, led for the agency by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, seeks to investigate and mature breakthrough solutions for landing future robotic and human missions on Mars and safely returning large payloads to Earth. LDSD is part of NASA’s Technology Demonstration Mission program, sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

 

Author: Kim Newton

NASA's Low Density Supersonic Decelerator project will be flying a rocket-powered, saucer-shaped test vehicle into near-space this June from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii. The LDSD crosscutting demonstration mission will test breakthrough technologies that will enable large payloads to be safely landed on the surface of Mars, or other planetary bodies with atmospheres, including Earth. These new technologies will not only allow for landing of larger payloads on Mars, but also provide access to much more of the planet's surface by enabling landings at higher altitude sites. The mission continues to demonstrate how technology drives exploration on our journey to Mars, as we test these tools here on Earth right now.