A two-stage suborbital sounding rocket is scheduled for launch March 21, 2022, for a mission managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory/Air Force Office of Scientific Research, from NASA’s launch range at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The launch of the Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket is scheduled between 7-10 p.m. EDT, March 21. The backup launch dates are March 22 through April 1.

The purpose of the mission, called BOundary Layer Turbulence 2, or BOLT-2, is to increase the understanding of boundary layer transition, turbulent heating, and drag on vehicles flying at hypersonic conditions. Boundary layer transition to turbulence is the process where smooth, laminar flow becomes unstable after which turbulence dominates and significantly increases heating and drag on high-speed vehicles.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. EDT on the Wallops YouTube site. Launch updates will be available on the Wallops Facebook and Twitter pages.

The rocket launch is expected to be visible from the Chesapeake Bay region. The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will not be open for viewing the launch.

Banner Image: The BOLT-2 payload awaits environmental testing in the Wallops Sounding Rocket Payload Facility. The front end of the payload is designed to represent the front of a hypersonic vehicle. Credits: NASA Wallops/Berit Bland

A visibility map showing the mid-Atlantic region. The map shows how many seconds after that people in the area, weather permitting, may be able to see the Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket in the sky.Credits: NASA Wallops/Christian Billie

By Keith Koehler
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility