The University of Central Florida (UCF) is preparing to launch its large-scale hypersonic wind tunnel, known as HADES, later this month. The facility, located at the Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion—also called the HyperSpace Center—is expected to advance research in hypersonic and space propulsion for scientists and strategic partners worldwide.
Justin Sprunger, a graduate research assistant in aerospace engineering at UCF and director of the hypersonics facility, has been involved with the project from its inception. He reflected on seeing HADES come to life after years of planning: “I’ve been staring at this thing on my computer screen with the 3D model for over a year. To watch the evolution of something that started as an idea to now in front of you in person is… I don’t think there’s a better reward, honestly,” Sprunger said. “As a fundamental researcher looking into all these problems that we face, you always come up with these hypotheses. ‘Oh, if we could just do this experiment,’ or ‘If we could hold this one thing constant, then I’d be able to see everything.’ And with this facility coming online, those once-impossible ideas will now start to become a possibility.”
HADES stands for high enthalpy altitude-stimulating dynamic experimental system. The wind tunnel can replicate atmospheric conditions such as pressure and temperature required for testing speeds that could eventually enable commercial airliners to travel from New York to London in under 15 minutes.
The HyperSpace Center was launched in October 2024 through a partnership with the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. It provides resources aimed at developing hypersonic technology and builds upon work led by Trustee Chair Professor Kareem Ahmed—including creating the first hypersonic detonation rocket engine in 2020.
HADES distinguishes itself by offering long-duration tests while allowing researchers to customize atmospheric pressure and temperature settings for their experiments—capabilities not matched by other university facilities such as those at Florida State University or University of Illinois.
“We’re going to be able to hit all the high Mach numbers; we’re going to be able to do it for long durations; and we’re going to be able to match the enthalpy of a flight,” Sprunger said. “So we’re taking the high temperature, the high pressure, the long duration, and we’re making a facility that’s going to be able to do that over and over and over again.”
In connection with UCF’s annual Space Game football event on November 7—the ninth installment—the team’s uniforms will feature design elements inspired by HADES’ fueling apparatus. Graduate research assistant Nate Dreyer contributed concepts for these designs.
“A lot of members of my team are huge sports guys, so we had so much fun being involved and part of this year’s game,” Sprunger said. “It really is about celebrating the university and demonstrating the capabilities we have here.”
