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A SpaceLoft XL sounding rocket launch from Spaceport America in New Mexico appears to have succeeded, according to initial Twitter reports out of New Mexico.
The flight, which was paid for by NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program, was flown to test six technologies. One of the experiments included the transmission of the first text messages to space.
Descriptions of the payloads and the launch vehicle follow after the break.
Test of Satellite Communications Systems on-board Suborbital Platforms to provide low-cost data communications for Research Payloads, Payload Operators, and Space Vehicle Operators
PI: Brian Barnett, SatWest Consulting, LLC
Satwest is partnering with Bosque School’s Physics II lab to send the world’s first texts into space. The students will follow the SpaceLoft XL flight via the hashtag #TextsToSpace. Once a specific altitude is achieved, a series of thirty texts will be issued by the students, and tweeted live throughout the event. Once the craft has returned to earth, a recovery team will return the rocket to Spaceport America. Satwest will retrieve the payload, and confirm receipt of the Bosque texts.
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(Spaceport America, NM) - Spaceport America, NM – New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) officials announced the launch today of the second NASA “Flight Opportunities Program” rocket from Spaceport America. The public launch of SpaceLoft™ XL 8 (SL-8), which was designed to reach sub-orbital space, took place this morning from Spaceport America's Launch Complex-1. Today’s liftoff marks the 20th launch at Spaceport America and the 12th flight conducted by UP Aerospace, a long-term spaceport long term customer.
The successful launch of NASA’s SL-8 commercial-space, research payload rocket took place at approximately 9:15 AM (MDT), which was within the dedicated 2.25-hour launch window, and flight data indicates the rocket attained a maximum altitude of approximately 116 km or 72.2 miles. The parachute recovery system brought the SpaceLoft™ rocket and its payload safely back and it was recovered intact 40 km approximately 25 miles downrange on White Sands Missile Range as planned.
“It is great to have NASA back at Spaceport America and to have the opportunity to support their second ‘Flight Opportunities’ sub-orbital launch today,” said NMSA Executive Director Christine Anderson. “We also want to congratulate UP Aerospace, who has been launching with us since the beginning, on their 12th launch from the spaceport.”
The SL-8 sub-orbital sounding rocket, provided by UP Aerospace, is part of the NASA “Flight Opportunities Program,” which is designed to provide sub-orbital payload launch resources for NASA and other government agencies, as well as for educational institutions and the private sector. Some of the “Flight Opportunities” payload customers for this launch include: New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech, FAA, NASA, SatWest and the Department of Defense.
Payload integration services for today’s SL-8 launch were provided by Schafer Corporation of Albuquerque, NM.
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Quelle: Spaceport America
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