boatgeek
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- Dec 27, 2014
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I 100% forgot that the NS is intended to separate not too long after MECO. According to a flight test video here, it separates at ~1760 MPH and 240K feet in normal flight. So the top of the booster is obviously designed for supersonic flight without the capsule, though in very thin air. Incidentally, Max Q for NS is subsonic, at 565 mph at 23K feet.