After nearly three years of ground trials, and numerous test flight failures that nearly spelled the end of the program, the X-51 availed itself of previous problems and proved itself to be capable of flying at hypersonic speeds.
Due to the physics behind scramjets operation the X-51 was flowing into the air on the wing of a B-52. Once the B-52 reached and altitude of 50,000ft (15,240m) the X-51 was freed from the B-52s wing and a solid rocket booster (SRB) was used to accelerate the scramjet to Mach 4.8 (3,168mph 5,098 km/h). Once at that speed the scramjet ignited, and for the next 240 seconds the scramjet screamed through the atmosphere at Mach 5.1, only stopping when it exhausted its fuel.
While the successful flight of the X-51A marks the end of the Boeing project both the military and NASA have expressed interest in exploring the Waveriders technology further. If the technology can mature successfully coming decades may see aircraft that reach Mach 15 and can fly to space using only a single stage.
Watch a Video About the X-51 Waverider:
Images and Video Courtesy of Boeing