Armstrong Hypersonics Research

X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle mounted onto a B-52.

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NASA Tech to Measure Heat, Strain in Hypersonic Flight

A NASA system designed to measure temperature and strain on high-speed vehicles is set to make its first flights at hypersonic speeds – greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound – when mounted to two research rockets launching this summer 2025.

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Two men prepare a rectangular system on a rectangular metal surface, which is connected to a cylinder-shaped machine that will severely shake it. Sets of wires are attached to both ends of the rectangular system.

Jonathan Lopez and Nathan Rick prepare the hypersonic Fiber Optic Sensing System for vibration tests in the Environmental Laboratory at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Testing on a machine called a shaker proved that the system could withstand the severe vibration it will endure in hypersonic flight, or travel at five times the speed of sound.

NASA/Jim Ross

At the Edge of Speed

At NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, pushing the edge of flight goes back to the center’s origins. From the roar of piloted rocket planes to cutting-edge hypersonic breakthroughs, NASA Armstrong has been at the heart of high-speed flight.

Watch an Overview of Our Hypersonics Research

Shadowgraph of a model plane, showing the silhouette of the plane and lines extending from it at various points.

Hypersonic Revolution: Watch, Read, Learn

A rocket ignites, beginning acceleration of the X-43A.

X-43A Final Flight

Video: NASA took a major step toward redefining high-speed flight on Nov. 16, 2004, when the X-43A proved that an engine drawing oxygen from the atmosphere could propel an aircraft to hypersonic speeds.

A picture of a worker preparing a 6-foot-tall tank used in CryoFILL experiments to liquefy oxygen at minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit. Testing was conducted at NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

FOSS Demonstration

Video: From aircraft and medical applications to automotive industry and efficient management of cryogenic fuels for Moon and Mars missions, NASA’s evolving measurement system is proving its versatility.