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Hermes Qualification Flight 1

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UPDATE 2/19/14: New Mission Patch Picture

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Hermes Qualification Flight 1, (also known as HerQ 1 and Hermes 1), was the first test flight for the Hermes, the launch vehicle which would ultimately be used by the International Partnered Space Agenda (IPSA). It was the first time the Common Core Stage, an essential component for the Hermes HLV family, flew. It also demonstrated the expected flight loads and operations for the Hermes C-I 101. The mission used a mass simulator that simulated the shape and mass of the C-I upper stage and the Courier C/SM.


The launch, on November 26, 2022, was the first such from the Ominke Atoll launch site since the close of the Daedalus program.

The mission lasted only 30 minutes, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, having achieved all its mission goals.

The launch of Hermes 1 was originally planned for late 2021, but was delayed by vehicle component development problems to May 2022. The first piece to arrive at Ominke was the Common Core Stage, on the specially constructed boat, MV Ultra Mariner. The CCS was the largest and most important component of the launch.

The other test components, including the solid rocket boosters, were experiencing development delays. The original Hermes 1 mission plan had the 121 configuration lift off with a Courier boilerplate and the upper stage. It was intended to be an "all-up test", meaning all rocket stages and spacecraft would be fully functional on the initial flight, a practice done by NASA for the Saturn V. It was eventually realized that the upper stage would not be ready for the test flight. Without the upper stage, the Courier boilerplate couldn’t be on the flight either. Thus, a rapidly improvised mission plan put the upper stage mass simulator to replace the Courier and upper stage, and the solid rocket boosters would not be included at all. This was not essential to the performance of the flight, as the CCS was designed to be capable of lifting the Courier into orbit on its own.

The mass simulator arrived on September 13, 2022.

Then, problems were discovered in the CCS. An inspection of the CSS’ five A-X engines found a construction flaw in one of the engines and thus was removed for repair. This halted the entire pre-launch processing for a short while.

On October 2, the complete launch vehicle, now Hermes Qualification Flight 1, finally rolled out to the International Launch Complex H-21.

Launch occurred on November 26 at 12:30PM EST. Ten seconds before liftoff, the five A-X engines ignited, sending tremendous amounts of noise across Ominke. To protect from a shockwave, the launch pads at H-21 were built with an acoustic suppression system; still, the sound pressure was much stronger than expected and damaged buildings more than four miles from the pad. IPSA would later upgrade the sound suppression system so that it could handle the intense sonic boom.

TThe CCS functioned perfectly throughout the flight. When it reached the point where a functional upper would have separated, the mass simulator was ejected. A slight contact between the two components was observed at this point, though it was not a concern as the mass simulator was unpowered, unlike the real upper stage. Both components continued on a ballistic arc. The upper stage simulator parachuted to the ocean to be recovered and flight data analyzed. The CCS fell back to Earth and was destroyed in the impact. Pieces of the CCS would later be discovered by boaters and washed up on shores.

IPSA deemed the mission a complete success, because it proved the Hermes could work; an important step toward the goal of establishing their presence in space.

 

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