HIFiRE 7: design to achieve scientific goals

The Hypersonic International Flight Research and Experimentation (HIFiRE) program is a joint effort between Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The mandate of the program is to develop enabling Hypersonic technologies and investigate the fundamental science phenomena involved. An upcoming flight for the program is HIFiRE 7, a flight test experiment of a 3-D Scramjet with a Rectangular to Elliptical Shape Transition (REST) inlet in a back to back free flying configuration. The payload will be launched via a VSB30 rocket motor and is scheduled for launch in June 2013. Design of a flight vehicle to achieve specific scientific goals is challenging and requires constant iteration, review and the development of new systems. This paper presents the HIFiRE Flight 7 experiment, it's goals and systems with a focus on the engineering processes for achieving the scientific requirements.