A new ultra-high-temperature ceramic thermal-protection material for future aerospace vehicles has been tested during a ballistic flight of a US Air Force Minuteman 3 from Vandenberg AFB, California.
The objective of the programme, which is managed by NASA, the Sandia National Laboratories and the US Air Force, is to demonstrate the viability of sharp wing-leading-edges for re-usable space vehicles.
The Mk12A re-entry vehicle landed in the Kwajalein missile range in the Pacific Ocean about 6,700km (3,600nm) downrange from Vandenberg after a 30min flight, and was recovered.
Source: Flight International