The United States Army reportedly canceled a hypersonic missile launch test at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida Wednesday after conducting “pre-flight checks.”
“On Sept. 6, the Department planned to conduct a flight test at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, to inform our hypersonic technology development,” A Department of Defense spokesperson told Fox News Thursday morning. “As a result of pre-flight checks, the test did not occur.”
The spokesperson added that the Department of Defense was able to “successfully collect data on the performance of the ground hardware and software that will inform the continued progress toward fielding offensive hypersonic weapons,” while emphasizing that the development of hypersonic weapons continues to be a “top priority.”
Maritime and airspace navigation warnings led to speculation that the United States military could be preparing to launch a hypersonic missile from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this week.
On Monday, Dr. Marco Langbroek tweeted, “Navigational Warnings have appeared that suggest a new test launch attempt of the #LRHW hypersonic #missile from Cape Canaveral between Sept 6-8.”
According to ARS Technica, the potential missile launch would have served as one of the last steps in the U.S. Army’s development of America’s first ground-based hypersonic weapon.
If the speculated launch had taken place, it would have marked a significant milestone in the race to compete with countries like Russia and China, which both have hypersonic missiles.
“Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are highly maneuverable and operate at varying altitudes,” the Army previously told Congress in a document titled “The U.S. Army’s Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon.” “This provides the warfighter with an ability to strike targets hundreds and even thousands of miles away, in a matter of minutes, to defeat a wide range of high-value targets.”
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According to ARS Technica, both the launch window and the trajectory of the speculated hypersonic missile were indicated by the release of the maritime and airspace navigation warnings to mariners and pilots in the region.
Experts indicated that the projected flight path of the missile was close to the same flight path that was planned for a hypersonic missile the U.S. military was originally going to test earlier this year at Cape Canaveral.
The Department of Defense released a statement earlier in the week in response to speculation regarding the missile launch.
“We have nothing to announce at this time,” a spokesperson for the department told ARS Technica. “Test dates and event details are not announced in advance.”
