Success
Flight 197
Test Flight
United States Air Force(USAF)Government
North American X-15
Suborbit
Flight 197 of the North American X-15 was a test flight conducted by NASA and the US Air Force in 1968. Piloted by William H. Dana it reached an altitude of 81.4 km.
Wednesday, August 21, 1968 at 5:05 PM
Mission details
Experimental hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft.
Mar 10, 1959 — Dec 12, 1968
USAF Mission
#459
Pad Launch
#13
Location Launch
#19
Launch Window
NET
Aug 21, 1968, 5:05 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Air launch to Suborbital flight
Total Launches
86
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
34.9056, -117.8836
North American X-15 Specs
The North American X-15 was a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft.
Length
15.47 m
Diameter
6.61 m
Launch Mass
15,195 t
Thrust
286 kN
Reusable
Yes
Maiden Flight
1959
Fastest Turnaround
16d 2h
Total Launches
13
Successful
12
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
1
Maiden flight: Jun 8, 1959
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.
Founded
1947
Administrator
Commander-in-Chief: President of the US
Total Launches
1,078
Successful
972
Failed
106
Pending
0
Consecutive Success
68