NASA’s X-43A Scramjet Almost Hit Mach 10 But Got the Hypersonic ‘Axe’

NASA’s X-43A Scramjet Almost Hit Mach 10 But Got the Hypersonic ‘Axe’

Article Summary – NASA’s Mach 10 Dream: Can the X-43A’s Legacy Go Operational? -In 2004, NASA’s X-43A set the air-breathing speed record at Mach 9.6, validating scramjet combustion but only for 10 seconds before gliding to splashdown. The demo ended by design: pushing past Mach 10 would have demanded costly redesigns amid unresolved hurdles—thermal protection, structural durability, and high-Mach flight control—while NASA pivoted to Moon-to-Mars…