News & Events
X-43 Scramjet Hits Mach 9.8 with L-3 TE's Telemetry System
 |
On November 16, 2004, NASA's X-43
Hyper-X program team achieved a major milestone after years of
effort — Mach 9.8! And
it was accomplished with L-3 TE's PCM encoders, transmitters,
power amplifiers, and transponders on board. On that clear
November day, the X-43 accelerated to a hypersonic speed of Mach
9.8 (7,000
mph) at a height of 110,000 feet, and a new record had been
set.
Hypersonic speed is defined as speed above Mach 5 (five times
the speed of sound). Previously, these speeds could only be
attained
with rocket propulsion systems, which require a stored oxygen
source and a greatly reduced vehicle payload. The X-43, however,
utilizes
a supersonic combustion ramjet (scramjet) air-breathing engine.
The vehicle is built from carbon composite material with a tile-based
thermal protection system (since parts of the X-43 reach temperatures
high enough to melt metal), and it has an airframe strong enough
to withstand the shock waves generated in hypersonic flight.
L-3 TE was awarded this contract in April, 1997, and was asked
to deliver a high-performance data acquisition system to Microcraft
of Tullahoma, TN, in support of NASA's X-43 Hyper-X program.
Because L-3 TE’s telemetry system successfully operates
at extreme temperatures without any external cooling system,
and is also rugged
enough to endure extreme shock and vibration, it was well suited
for the three test flights NASA had planned. For the test flights,
NASA attached the X-43 to an Orbital Sciences Pegasus booster
rocket, and then flew the equipment up to different launching
altitudes
on a B-52. Upon separation from the B-52, the booster carried
the X-43 to 95,000 feet and above, where the vehicle detached
and the
scramjet engine ignited and began operation.
The first test flight was in June, 2001. The B-52 flew the booster
and the X-43 to 40,000 feet. After separation from the B-52,
the booster became unstable and the vehicle was purposely destroyed.
The L-3 system, however, delivered telemetry data all the way
to
its crash landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The second test flight in March of 2004 went as planned, and
the X-43 reached a speed of Mach 6.8 at 95,000 feet, setting
a new
speed record for an air-breathing aircraft. Once again, the L-3
telemetry system performed flawlessly.
On the third and final test flight in November, 2004, the X-43
hit its record-breaking Mach 9.8. We at L-3 Telemetry-East were
proud to fly with the best that day, and we were pleased to demonstrate
that our equipment delivers mission-critical data from the most
rigorous environments. This is a legacy of excellence L-3 TE
strives to perpetuate with each successive innovation we introduce
to the
marketplace.
