On this day in space! Nov. 4, 2015: A rail-launched Super Strypi rocket carrying 13 baby satellites failed during its debut launch for the US Air Force

On November 4, 2015, the US Air Force attempted to launch a unique rocket called Super Strypi from Hawaii, designed to carry small satellites. This innovative launch used a rail system to assist in the rocket's ascent. Despite this innovative approach, the launch did not go as planned. The rocket spun out of control and crashed shortly after liftoff, causing all 13 small satellites, known as cubesats, on board to be destroyed.

The primary reason for the failure was likely a problem with the rocket's first stage motor. Following this disastrous incident, the Super Strypi program was never revived, and the Air Force never attempted another launch using this concept. The Super Strypi represented a modern version of the classic three-stage Strypi sounding rocket used for reentry vehicle and anti-missile target tests in the 1960s.

It was designed to reach orbit rather than suborbital trajectories typical of most sounding rockets. The U.S. Air Force aimed for Super Strypi to provide a rapid-response launch tool based on national security needs, capable of launching small payloads of up to 300 kilograms for $15 million per mission. The rocket's main payload was the ORS-4 satellite, built for Earth imagery and environmental monitoring, while the other twelve payloads included eight cubesats for NASA's Edison Demonstration of Smallsat Networks mission and four additional ones for universities.

Following the failure, the Air Force and Space Force did not utilize the Super Strypi for any new missions, and the Space Force has since turned to commercial companies for faster launch support.