DARPA officials reported late Friday that the hypersonic test vehicle-2 (HTV-2) launched April 22 via a Minotaur IV Lite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., failed to complete its 30-minute glide over the Pacific Ocean. An April 23 DARPA release states that the Minotaur “executed first of its kind energy maneuvers, clamshell payload fairing release, and HTV-2 deployment.” However, the release continues, “Approximately nine minutes into the mission, telemetry assets experienced a loss of signal from the HTV-2.” DARPA has an engineering team reviewing the test data and expects the technical data to “provide insight” into the HTV-2 flight characteristics.
The joint U.S.-South Korea Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise will end Aug. 21, a week earlier than previously planned, at the behest of President Donald Trump—a move that comes as U.S Air Force is already reviewing its exercise schedule in the Pacific.