Hyperion Update

We thank all of you for being patient: the delays are stressful for us too.

As many of you know, our new launch vehicle, Hyperion, is just days away from its inaugural launch. In its inaugural configuration, Hyperion stands 205ft tall and will feature 2 SRBs. Hyperion will launch out of the newly-constructed SLC-50 pad at Cape Canaveral. The current launch date is set at NLT July 7.

Now for the actual updates

Recently, the first Hyperion vehicle was stacked in our VIF, located a half-mile from SLC-50. The stack now consists of the SMART thrust structure, the core stage prop tanks, the interstage, the HCUS, and the mock PLF halves. The SRBs are yet to be installed, but we are sure to see those mated to the rest of the rocket within the next 2 or 3 days. As for the payload, Orion Technologies has recently announced an agreement with Von Karaman Industries to launch their Calypso probe to Jupiter. The spacecraft arrived at
our PPF(Payload Processing Facility, keep up with the acronyms please) on Saturday and is currently being encapsulated inside the payload fairings. It will be shipped out to the VIF early Wednesday and will be mated to the rest of Hyperion shortly after.

As of right now, all LV and Pad systems are nominal, and we are tracking no long-term issues with the vehicle. Weather still looks good for the week. Likely launch date is somewhere between July 2 and July 6(comment if you think it’ll be a July 4 launch). As always, enjoy, and stay tuned for more updates!