The X-43A is intended to be the first scramjet-powered vehicle, capable of attaining speeds as high as Mach 10. The X-43A mission, first in a series of three, was lost moments after the X-43A and its launch vehicle were released from the wing of the B-52 carrier aircraft. Following booster ignition, the X-43A and its launch vehicle stack experienced structural failure, deviated from its flight path, and its flight was deliberately terminated.

The board continues to believe that a single root cause for the X-43A mishap is unlikely. The Board Chairman, Robert Hughes of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., said that the investigation team has put in place many of the pieces to understand the mishap. He stated that the investigation activities needed to complete the investigation are linked to the data being developed from wind tunnel and mechanical testing. Analyses using these data will provide the final answers.

Langley leads the X-43A program, with flight operations conducted by Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. The vehicle contractor team, led by MicroCraft in Tullahoma, Tenn., includes The Boeing Co., Seal Beach, Calif.; and GASL, Inc., Ronkonkoma, N.Y. The booster is a modified Pegasus launch vehicle provided by Orbital Sciences Corp., Chandler, Ariz.

Members of the Mishap Investigation Team include NASA representatives from Dryden, Langley, Marshall, Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, and Kennedy Space Flight Center, Florida, plus contractor representatives.

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