Only a last-minute mechanical issue - not necessarily connected with the vehicle itself- prevented the second flight of the X-51A WaveRider hypersonic vehicle taking place in late March. Powered by a supersonic-combustion ramjet (scramjet), the vehicle was about to be dropped from a B-52H Stratofortress, which had taken off from Edwards AFB in California and climbed to altitude in preparation for air-launching the unmanned X-51A, when the mission was aborted. The X-51A immediately made itself safe, turning off all power. However, the X-51 A is already seen as a success story. Following a first flight on May 26, 2010, which did not achieve all its goals but immediately made the X-51 A by far the most successful jet fuel-powered hypersonic vehicle ever, programme officials eagerly awaited the WaveRider's next flight.
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