--- title: "US Hypersonic Missile Test Fails For A Second Time" description: "The US continues to fall behind Russia and China when it comes to hypersonic missiles after a second test of the high-tech weapon failed." date: "2022-07-02" modified: "2022-07-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-hypersonic-test-failed" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "china" - "hypersonic missiles" - "Russia" - "the digest" --- # US Hypersonic Missile Test Fails For A Second Time ![The US continues to fall behind Russia and China when it comes to hypersonic missiles after a second test of the high-tech weapon failed.]() *\Image: Getty\* ## Closing Time The United States continues to fall behind Russia and China when it comes to hypersonic missiles after a second test of the high tech weapon failed. The Department of Defense, [per statements to *Bloomberg*](), confirmed that US hypersonic weapons tests this week sent from Hawaii had failed, though it didn't provide many details beyond that. "An anomaly occurred following ignition of the test asset," Tim Gorman, a Pentagon spokesman and Navy lieutenant commander, said in the statement to the mag. ## Testing, Testing The missile prototype, known as "Conventional Prompt Strike," [never even got off the launchpad back in October 2021](), when it failed to launch mere days after [China completed a hypersonic missile test]() so successful that it literally traveled all the way around the Earth. In 2019, [Russia became the first country to successfully complete a launch]() of these next-generation missiles that can reportedly travel up to a whopping *27 times faster* *than the speed of sound* and dodge whatever defense systems attempt to block their way. Though the American military has had setbacks when it comes to these dystopian missiles, it have [successfully launched at least one hypersonic weapon](), DARPA's Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept — though as reports at the time indicated, that one "only" goes five times the speed of sound. ## Absolutely Nothin' Along with Russia and China, North Korea is also said to have conducted at least two hypersonic missile launches that reportedly traveled hundreds of kilometers, *Bloomberg*'s reporting noted. As with every other arms race we find ourselves in with forces painted by our government as the new Axis of Evil, it's important to contextualize reporting on these kinds of terrifying weapons with the simple question posed by the 70's one-hit wonder band Edwin Starr, who recorded a smash hit version of The Temptations' "War": **"**what is it good for?**"** **READ MORE:** [US Hypersonic Missile Fails in Test in Fresh Setback for Program]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on hypersonics:** *[US Military: Let's Shoot Down Hypersonic Missiles With Smaller Hypersonic Missiles]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()