Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator news.

In June NASA will conduct the second flight of the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD)

test vehicle from the U.S. Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) located on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii.

The test will begin at an altitude of about 120,000 feet. But what does it take to get a supersonic test vehicle to that altitude? It’s easier said than done.

In addition to finding a way to deliver the test vehicle to the right height, the project also had to find a location and a team to help coordinate the launch range activities.

Mark Adler, LDSD project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said, “To support the LDSD supersonic flights we turned to NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia which has experience in launching scientific balloons, conducting remote campaigns and a working relationship with the Pacific Missile Range Facility.  All of that experience has been vital in conducting these tests efficiently and successfully.”