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.