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A Small Super Heavy Model Met Transonic Wind
NASA and SpaceX published results from re-entry tests spanning subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions.
Summary
NASA and SpaceX published results from re-entry tests spanning subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions.
NASA described tests of a 1.2%-scale Super Heavy Version 3 model at Ames, measuring steady and unsteady aerodynamic forces during simulated re-entry. The campaign covered Mach 0.2 to 1.4 and Mach 1.55 to 2.5 and is intended to inform flight and load software for the Starship launch system. These are wind-tunnel measurements on a scale model, not a full-scale flight demonstration.
Why it matters
NASA and SpaceX published results from re-entry tests spanning subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions.
Limits and context
- These are wind-tunnel measurements on a scale model, not a full-scale flight demonstration.
Key claims
NASA and SpaceX published results from re-entry tests spanning subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions.
Qualification: These are wind-tunnel measurements on a scale model, not a full-scale flight demonstration.
Evidence: source-2026-08-01-015
Sources
- NASA: Super Heavy Version 3 wind-tunnel testingNASA · official announcement
Corrections
No corrections have been recorded for this story.