Catch the July 23th IRVE-3 Demo Flight

PLEASE IGNORE THE OLD LAUNCH DATE. The above image is an overview of the flight demonstration of the Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3). The launch is scheduled for July 23rd. Image Credit: NASA

NASA has scheduled the launch of an inflatable heat shield technology demonstration flight from its Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, for Monday, July 23. The launch is a reschedule of the July 21 launch attempt, which was scrubbed because of bad weather.


The Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-3) is part of the Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (HIAD) Project within the Game Changing Development Program, part of NASA's Space Technology Program. IRVE-3 is to be launched on a Black Brant XI sounding rocket and is projected to splashdown approximately 100 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.


The launch window on Monday for all rockets, including several to test tracking systems and gather atmospheric data, is 5 to 8 AM EDT. The launch window for the IRVE-3 is 7 to 7:40 AM EDT.

If you are in the area, the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will open at 4:30 AM EDT on launch day for viewing the launch. The Black Brant XI rocket will be visible to residents in the Wallops and southern Chesapeake Bay region.


Further information on the mission, including how to view the launch on the Internet and following the countdown on Twitter and Facebook, is available at: www.nasa.gov/wallops


NASA Television will air the IRVE-3 launch live and stream it on the agency's website at: www.nasa.gov/ntv


Further information on the IRVE-3 is available at: www.nasa.gov/hiad


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