Los Alamos National Laboratory recently successfully launched a rocket carrying a full-size, non-nuclear, experimental payload that reached near the edge of space during a brief suborbital flight.
The launch occurred at White Sands Missile Range.
The payload returned telemetry data to scientists on the ground during its descent, and the rocket released the experimental payload before returning to the ground.
The payload will help ensure the responsiveness of the nuclear weapons stockpile in accordance to the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration mandate for a stockpile responsiveness program. The program requires stockpile responsiveness be demonstrated periodically through test flights, prototypes and the development of plans for certification without the need for nuclear explosive testing.
“The data we receive is invaluable in allowing us to assess performance and make modifications to improve it,” Justin McGlown, the Los Alamos flight leader for the launch, said. “This program requires that we work quickly and keep down costs. Historically, launching a payload into space took years — sometimes decades — and hundreds of millions of dollars. This test integrated a new payload into a new vehicle, on a new rocket, including range costs, in just three years, start to finish, at a significantly lower cost.”