U.S. and German researchers launched the Boundary Layer Transition 1B hypersonic experiment from Andoya Space in Andenes, Norway on Monday.
A joint research project of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the German Aerospace Center, BOLT-1B flew over the Norwegian Sea at a speed of Mach 7.2, Johns Hopkins said.
The flight test delivered critical information on airflow physics at hypersonic speeds, the laboratory added.
According to Brad Wheaton, chief scientist at Johns Hopkins APL, the experiment will inform efforts to improve the design of future hypersonic vehicles.
The collected data will be used to reduce modeling uncertainties for hypersonic vehicles and optimize their performance, he added.
Johns Hopkins noted that BOLT-1B aims to better understand the airflow around a hypersonic vehicle’s skin, called boundary layer transition, which increases vehicle drag and aerodynamic heating.
During the flight experiment, BOLT-1B’s advanced instruments performed over 400 measurements and recorded the scientific data before hitting the ocean. Researchers will use the data to validate more accurate modeling and prediction methods for engineering hypersonic vehicles.