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A number of Suborbital spaceflights are being conducted during 2008. These consist mostly of sounding rocket missions and missile tests, however also encompass other flights, including an ASAT firing. As of July 16, at least 43 publicly announced sub-orbital spaceflights have been conducted, the first of which occurred on January 11.

January

LIDOS

LIDOS was an American ultraviolet astronomy mission, conducted using a Canadian Black Brant IX, serial number 36.243, launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range. The launch occurred at 05:32 GMT on January 11, making it the first recorded spaceflight launch of 2008. The mission was conducted by NASA for Johns Hopkins University, and reached an apogee of 315 kilometres. It was declared a success.¹

Jericho-3 test launch

On January 17, the Israeli Air Force was reported to have successfully launched the first Jericho-3 missile from Palmachim, on a test flight.²

SCIFER-2

SCIFER-2 was an American ionospheric and auroral research mission, launched from the Andøya Rocket Range in Norway. It was conducted by NASA using Black Brant XII 40.021. Research was conducted by Cornell University, and the Lynch Rocket Laboratory at Dartmouth College. Launch was delayed several times by high winds and poor scientific conditions, and finally occurred on January 18 at 07:30 GMT. The rocket reached an apogee of 1,460 kilometres during a successful flight.³

Shaheen-1 test launch

On January 25, a Shaheen-1 missile was test fired from Sonmiani by the Army of Pakistan. The test was declared a success.⁴

HotPay-2

The British HotPay-2 ionospheric and auroral research mission was launched from Andøya at 19:14:00 GMT on January 31. The mission was conducted by Andøya Rocket Range (ARR) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), on behalf of the University of Leeds. The successful research flight was conducted using a VS-30/Orion sounding rocket, which reached an apogee of 380.6 kilometres.⁵

Standard Missile test

On January 28, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and the United States Navy announced that a test launch of a Standard Missile 3, on an undisclosed date in the previous month had been conducted successfully. The launch occurred from the USS Desert Ship, a US Navy base at the White Sands Missile Range.⁶

February

Kavoshgar-1

On February 4, Iran conducted its second sounding rocket launch, and the maiden flight of the Kavoshgar-1 rocket, a derivative of the Shahab-3 missile. The launch occurred from a new space centre in Semnan Province. It is believed that the launch was a test of the Kavoshgar, which was being developed as a carrier rocket.

S-310 Ionosphere research mission

On February 6 at 09:14:40 GMT, JAXA launched an S-310 rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Japan. The rocket was used to conduct research into the ionosphere.

TEXUS-44

TEXUS-44 was the 44^th flight of the European TEXUS microgravity research programme. It was launched from Esrange in Sweden at 11:30 GMT February 7. A Brazillian VSB-30 sounding rocket was used, and the launch was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation.

USA-193 intercept

Main article: USA 193

At 03:26 GMT on February 21, a modified Standard Missile 3 was launched from the USS Lake Erie, stationed in the Pacific Ocean. The missile was fired at USA-193, a reconnaissance satellite which failed shortly after launch in December 2006. Acting as an anti-satellite weapon, the SM-3 was successful in destroying the satellite, by rupturing its hydrazine tank. Officially, the United States Government stated that they destroyed the satellite to prevent it falling over a populated area, however it was claimed that there were political motivations, such as proving that the United States had the capability to destroy a satellite in low Earth orbit, or to prevent the satellite from falling into the wrong hands, should it come down in a country not allied to the United States.

TEXUS-45

TEXUS-45, the 45^th TEXUS microgravity research mission, was launched from Esrange in Sweden at 06:15 GMT on February 21. A Brazillian VSB-30 rocket was used for the mission, which was conducted by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Swedish Space Corporation on behalf of the European Space Agency.

K-15 Test

On February 26, at 07:28 GMT, India test-fired a K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the INS Kalinga, in the first K-15 test launch to be conducted underwater.

March

Agni-1 missile test

At 04:45 GMT on March 23, the Indian Navy test fired an Agni-1 missile from Launch Complex 4 at Wheeler Island.

Mini-DUSTY 14

Mini-DUSTY 14 was a microgravity research mission launched on March 28 using an Indian RH-200 sounding rocket. The launch and mission were conducted by Andøya Rocket Range, and the launch occurred from their facilities in Norway.

April

GT-196GM

Glory Trip 196GM (GT-196GM) was the first test of a Minuteman III missile to be conducted for nearly a year, due to a series of delays. The launch, from LF-09 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base occurred at 08:01 GMT on April 2. It was conducted by the United States Air Force.

SEE

SEE was an Ultraviolet Astronomy mission launched from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range, using a Black Brant IX rocket. The serial number of the rocket was 36.240. Launch occurred at 16:58 GMT on April 14. The launch was conducted by NASA for the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics of the University of Colorado.

Blue Sparrow test

On April 15, an Israeli Blue Sparrow missile was test launched. The missile was fired from an F-15 aircraft, and flew a trajectory designed to imitate that flown by Iranian Shahab missiles. Later launches will be used to test Arrow missiles, designed to shoot down enemy missiles.

Shaheen-II tests

On 19 and April 21, two Pakistani Shaheen-II missiles were launched from an undisclosed launch site, believed to be Sonmiani.

May

Black Brant X-ray astronomy mission

At 05:30 GMT on May 1 a Black Brant IX, serial number 36.223 was launched by NASA, from LC-36 at the White Sands Missile Range, on an x-ray astronomy mission for the University of Wisconsin.

First Mesquito launch

On May 6, between 18:00 and 20:00 GMT, the maiden flight of the Mesquito rocket, serial number 12.065, was conducted by NASA from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility. The flight was reported to be successful.

Agni-III test launch

An Indian Agni-III missile was launched on a test mission from LC-4 at Wheeler Island, at 04:26 on May 7. The test was reported to be successful.

Second Mesquito launch

About 24 hours after the maiden flight, the second Mesquito, 12.066, was launched from the same launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility. The launch occurred early in the launch window, and was reported to have failed, due to a loss of control shortly after burnout of the solid rocket motor, and the loss of stabilisation fins during descent.

Trident test launches

On May 21, Lockheed Martin announced that two Trident II missiles had been tested successfully earlier in the month. The launches were claimed to have broken a record for consecutive successful launches, with 122 such launches since 1989. Trident launches are typically conducted in pairs on the same day. The missiles were fired from the submarine USS Nebraska, submerged in the Pacific Ocean. The launches were later reported to have occurred on May 8.

MASER-11

MASER-11 was an European sounding rocket mission, launched by a VSB-30 rocket at 04:00 GMT on May 15, 2008. The launch occurred from Esrange in Sweden, was conducted by the Swedish Space Corporation, and reached an apogee of 252 kilometres.⁷

GT-197GM

Glory Trip 197GM (GT-197GM) was the second test of a Minuteman III missile to be conducted in 2008. The launch, from LF-10 at Vandenberg AFB occurred at 10:04 GMT on May 22. It was conducted by the 576th Flight Test Squadron of the USAF Space Command. The flight was a long range test aimed at Guam, approximately 5,250 miles from the launch site, rather than the usual target, Kwajalein Atoll. Instrumentation was carried for the US National Nuclear Security Administration. The test was reported to have been successful.⁸

Prithvi test

A Prithvi missile was launched by the Indian Army, from the Integrated Test Range, at 05:00 GMT on May 23, as part of a user training and test flight programme.

Tszyuylan-2 test flight

A Tszyuylan-2 missile was launched from the Chinese Navy's sole Soviet-designed Golf class submarine, located in the Yellow Sea, on May 29.

June

AEGIS SM-2 test

A test of the terminal intercept capability of the United States AEGIS missile defence system was conducted on June 5. A Thread-Representative Short Range Ballistic Missile was launched from the USS Tripoli, near Kauai. The missile reached space, and was intercepted by two SM-2 missiles launched from a destroyer, after re-entry. The SM-2 missiles did not reach space.

Simulated AEGIS test

A further test of the AEGIS system was conducted on June 13, when two Medium Range Target Missiles were launched from Barking Sands. The missiles were tracked by US Navy destroyers, and simulated SM-3 missiles were launched to intercept them.

THAAD test

On June 26, the United States conducted its third ABM test of the month, when a THAAD missile was used to intercept a Threat Representative Ballistic Missile. The TRBM was launched from a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, flying over the Pacific Ocean, at 02:16 GMT. A THAAD missile was launched from the Kwajalein Missile Range at 02:22, and the missile was successfully intercepted, during the stage at which the mock warhead separated from the missile. The THAAD did not leave the atmosphere, however the target did.

NGSP-01

A Black Brant IX was used to conduct the Next Generation Sensor Producibility (NGSP-01) technology development mission for the US MDA. The rocket was launched from Wallops Island at 19:57 GMT on June 26. The payload used infrared and optical sensors to track a number of objects released from the sounding rocket.

ECOMA 2008-1

The first of three ECOMA aeronomy research missions to be conducted in 2008 was launched from the Andøya Rocket Range on June 30. A Nike-Orion rocket was used.

July

ECOMA 2008-2

The second ECOMA mission was launched at 21:30 GMT on July 7. The mission used a Nike-Orion rocket launched from Andøya, to study Aeronomy. The mission was flown by ARR and DLR.

Great Prophet III

Main article: Great Prophet III

Iran conducted the Great Prophet III war games during July. These included a number of missile launches, several of which made suborbital spaceflights. Nine missiles were launched on July 9, including a Shahab-3. Further launches, including another Shahab-3, were reported to have occurred on July 10.

ECOMA 2008-3

2008's third and final ECOMA Aeronomy mission was launched from Andøya atop a Nike-Orion at 10:46 GMT on July 12. It reached an apogee of 123 kilometres (76 mi).⁹

SubTEC-II

SubTEC-II, a technology development flight, was launched from Wallops Flight Facility on July 14 at 10:10 GMT. A Terrier 70-Improved Orion sounding rocket was used, a derivative of the Terrier-Orion. The mission was reported to have been successful.¹⁰

FTX-03

FTX-03 was a missile defence test, conducted on July 18 by the US Air Force and MDA. A Polaris missile, in the STARS configuration, was launched from Kodiak Island at 22:47 GMT.¹¹ It was tracked by land and sea based radar systems, and the US early warning satellite systems. Intercepts of the missile by SM-3 and THAAD missiles were simulated from ships in the Pacific Ocean, and ground based systems at Vandenberg Air Force Base, respectively. The test was successful.¹²

August

Russian SLBM test

A Russian SLBM test was conducted from the submarine Ryazan, located in the Barents Sea, on August 1. The test was reported to have been successful. While the type of missile was not officially confirmed, Ryazan is believed to carry only R-29 missiles.

S-520 microgravity research flight

JAXA launched an S-520 from the Uchinoura Space Centre on August 2 at 08:30 GMT. The rocket conducted microgravity research, and reached an apogee of 293 kilometres.

Minuteman test

A Minuteman III missile was launched from Vandenberg AFB at 08:01 GMT on August 13, on a test flight aimed at Kwajalein Atoll. The test was successful, and the missile travelled about 6,790 kilometres downrange, deploying three re-entry vehicles.

ALV X-1

Main article: ALV X-1

The ALV X-1 test flight of the ATK Launch Vehicle was launched from LP-0B at the Mid Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Wallops Island, at 09:10 GMT on August 22. 27 seconds after launch, the flight ended in failure, when the rocket exploded.

Trident missile tests

The US Navy launched two Trident II missiles from the USS Louisiana in the Pacific Ocean on August 25.¹³ The launches were part of the missile's operational test programme, and were both successful.

Topol test

On August 28, the Russian military launched a test flight of the Topol-M missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. The test was reported to have been successful.¹⁴

September

Double THAAD test

The US military intended to conduct a test of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system on September 18, launching two missiles against a single target. The target was launched from Kauai at 02:05 GMT, but failed before the interceptors could be launched. Both THAAD launches were cancelled.¹⁵

Bulava test

On September 18, the Russian Navy test fired a Bulava SLBM from the Dmitry Donskoi submarine in the White Sea. The missile was launched at 14:45 GMT, and impacted the test site at 15:05.¹⁶

NFIRE-2b

A missile test using the NFIRE satellite to observe the launch was conducted on September 24. Orbital Sciences Corporation launched a Chimera test vehicle from Vandenberg AFB at 06:57, on behalf of the US military. The missile passed close to the NFIRE satellite, before falling back to Earth.¹⁷

See also

• 2008 in spaceflight

References