The W-3 spacecraft, mounted on a Rocket Lab Pioneer satellite platform as with previous missions, was launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 rideshare from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
W-3 carries a specialized payload: an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) engineered by the US Air Force in collaboration with Innovative Scientific Solutions Incorporated (ISSI). This system, designed to operate at extreme reentry speeds, will undergo real-world testing during the capsule's return to Earth - marking its first exposure to such high-velocity conditions.
IMUs are electronic systems capable of tracking motion, orientation, and speed, and are found in a variety of everyday items, from automobiles to fitness wearables. These commercial-grade devices, however, often lack precision at hypersonic velocities. Varda's reentry capsule offers a unique opportunity for both government and commercial entities to test IMU functionality in high-speed environments, supporting advancements in hypersonic research.
"The need for robust, plug-and-play IMU technology is a growing capability area that will significantly advance the current state-of-the-art for domain awareness and control of future systems," said Dr. Steve NeVille, senior scientist at ISSI. "The W-3 reentry flight test with Varda provides an exciting and unique proto-qualification platform to rapidly advance our IMU technology readiness level in a relevant reentry environment, which is the pinnacle of early development testing."
During reentry, Varda's capsule reaches velocities over Mach 25, offering a rare environment for gathering critical data that can benefit a wide range of applications. This capability contributes to the broader orbital economy and aligns with U.S. national security objectives in low Earth orbit.
"Varda's commercial dual-use reentry capability is a game-changer for enabling rapid technology maturation for future systems," said Technical Lead for AFRL's Prometheus reentry testbed program, Dr. Erin Vaughan. "Affordable, frequent reentry flight test opportunities support S and T development for early risk reduction studies, reducing cost and schedule for novel technologies."
The payload on W-3 is part of the Prometheus program, an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) initiative in collaboration with Varda. The program aims to fast-track testing and evolution of hypersonic and reentry technologies using cost-effective, commercially available flight test platforms.
"High-cadence, routine operations is our goal. We are working to make reentry as commonplace as launch," said Varda Vice President for Mission Management, Brandi Sippel. "We are looking forward to the day when sending capsules into orbit and back to Earth is seen as routine."
After a short mission duration in orbit, W-3 is scheduled to reenter and land at the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, managed by Southern Launch. Notably, Varda's prior capsule, W-2, became the first commercial reentry vehicle to land on Australian soil.
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