MDA launches from Wallops last week

By Linda Cicoira

The Missile Defense Agency reported launching a Hypersonic Testbed last week from Accomack County to demonstrate a new experimental testing platform.

Kratos built HTB-1 launched on June 12 from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. A spokesperson said the testbed is the Erinyes flyer, a hypersonic vehicle the company revealed two years ago.

“Initial reports show the sensors successfully collected data after launch,” an agency rep said later. The MDA “will continue to assess flight data over the next several weeks. HTB-1 represents a significant step forward in hypersonic testing capability.”

The satellite reached orbit in mid-February to serve as an experimental platform for tracking from space the dim signatures of hypersonic vehicles against the warm background of the planet.

     In May, a Kratos Defense executive said the Zeus rocket and the Erinyes and Dark Fury hypersonic vehicles could be flown later this year, according to a report. They are designed to support ballistic missile defense tests.