Blue Horizons Aerospace Begins Final Processing Milestones for Insight Test Vehicle Block 2; Prepares for Integration
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, September 5, 2024 – Blue Horizons Aerospace, LLC (BHA) has completed assembly of all vehicle segments and subsystems of the Insight Test Vehicle Block 2 (ITV-2). The ITV-2 is now beginning final processing milestones in advance of the launch, including vehicle integration—the final assembly and integration of the subsystems and assemblies into the rocket—and checkout. BHA is targeting mid-October 2024 for the inaugural launch of the ITV-2, defined as Insight Research Mission 2 (IRM-2), from BHA Launch Site 1 (LS-01) in Moville, Iowa.
Earlier in August 2024, the ITV-2 passed critical milestones when it was authorized to advance through Key Decision Point-D (KDP-D) with the vehicle passing all the technical requirements and standards of the project. KDP-D represents the official transition from development to vehicle assembly, integration, and checkout operations leading to launch.
Later this month, BHA managers and IRM-2 personnel will reconvene to review the progress of integration and the readiness of the vehicle for launch at the Flight Readiness Review (FRR). BHA will set the launch period—the days in mid-October when IRM-2 could launch—and the daily launch windows by the end of the month; managers will target a launch opportunity shortly thereafter.
IRM-2 is the second mission under the Insight Program and the first of two back-to-back launches of the Block 2 and 2B configurations of the Insight Test Vehicle, respectively. Both new configurations of the Insight Test Vehicle will validate advanced vehicle systems, including the Descent Airbrake Guidance System (DAGS), BHA’s advanced aerodynamic deceleration system that allows for active guidance on descent. The second launch of the Block 2B configuration is planned for no earlier than December 2024.
ABOUT BHA
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in New York, New York, Blue Horizons Aerospace, LLC (BHA) is an aerospace company developing, innovating, and advancing today's technologies and systems to deliver tomorrow's capabilities. Currently, a leading innovator in amateur rocketry, BHA is dedicated to offering suborbital launch services to commercial customers by 2030. Our future launch services will enable commercial customers to test and validate supersonic vehicles and various advanced payloads. With a dedicated team across the United States, we are united by a shared passion for exploration and technological advancement.