FlashFeed

Full text

A U.S. Space Force mission pitting two satellites against each other has been deemed a success, completing its first tactical intercept of an orbital target.

The news comes less than two weeks after Rocket Lab broke a spaceflight readiness record, launching the company's Pioneer-class Puma satellite aboard an Electron rocket on June 19 , delivering the second spacecraft of the Space Force's Victus Haze mission just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving notice. The mission's first satellite, True Anomaly's JACKAL-0004 vehicle, was launched to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May, where it awaited the yet-unannounced launch of its counterpart.

Once Puma reached space as well, the vehicles were tasked with rapid acquisition, rendezvousing and assessment operations to simulate the interception and characterization of potential adversary spacecraft. Space Force's Space Systems Command put a 72-hour deadline for the orbital sortie's successful completion, which wrapped up 11 hours ahead of schedule, according to a True Anomaly statement .

It's Space Force's second Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission. The first, Victus Nox , was launched by Firefly Aerospace in September 2023, and was focused on space domain awareness capabilities. The tactical engagement of two spacecraft in orbit on Victus Haze is a brand-new accomplishment for the Space Force , which continues to fortify its orbital posture against a rising threat of potential "non-compliant satellites," according to a Rocket Lab statement .

During its mission to hunt down Puma, Jackal was able to demonstrate several critical capabilities, including proximity operations and satellite image identification. "Jackal performed exactly as designed, demonstrating precise propulsion burns and nominal ingress, successful closed-loop tracking, precision pointing, imaging and characterization of the target before egressing to its base orbit," the True Anomaly statement said.

According to the Space Force , the two spacecraft participated in several space domain awareness threat-response scenarios and "dynamic engagements with the other."

“Victus Haze is primed to further demonstrate our readiness to lean on our commercial partners to deny, disrupt, and counter any adversarial advantage — no matter where they try to operate in space,” acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive Col. Bryon McClain said in the Space Force statement.

Once mission operations began, True Anomaly handed control of Jackal over to the company's "space superiority software," Mosaic, which executed planning of the sortie with Puma. Puma's vehicle platform, Pioneer, was designed, launched and operated by Rocket Lab.

"Victus Haze proves that responsive launch and responsive characterization are a single capability. Acquire a new object within hours, close the geometry, and deliver the imagery. The next step is cadence: faster, more often, and across more orbits," True Anomaly's press release said.

Full text

At least one Demon has remained on sale for more than five years.

Seven of them are rare Demon 170s, capped at just 3,301 worldwide.

Prices for the Demon 170 models range from $138,946 to $155,536.

Anyone who missed out on a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon when it was new can relax. Eight years after the car launched, the used market is still full of them, though they still change hands for more than they cost new.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");

}

});

One particular dealership in California has more Demons in stock than most. The dealer, Huntington Beach Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram , currently has eight standard Demon models up for sale, and no fewer than seven Demon 170s available. While they are all commanding premiums, none of them are absurdly priced.

Watch: Hennessey’s Demon 1700 Makes More Torque At The Tires Than A Bugatti Chiron Makes At The Crank

Some of these Challenger Demons have been available from the dealer since at least 2021. These include the priciest one of them all, a Blue Pearlcoat example with an asking price of $107,621. The dealership is also selling one painted Go Mango, another painted F8 Green, one that’s Pitch Black, and another that’s finished in Billet silver, all carrying an identical asking price of $107,552.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform === "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("ea4d4b5a-f8e5-4d5d-9d9a-53a3b956b6cd");

} else{

adpushup.triggerAd("44c0a4dc-e25b-4ba5-ac64-2c510461b92a");

}

});

Huntington Beach Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram

The two cheapest Demons available from the dealer are both priced at $103,157: one painted Pitch Black and the other finished in Yellow Jacket. Curiously, none of the listings provides mileage details for the cars.

For your money, you get a raging 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 pumping out up to 840 hp and 770 lb-ft (1,044 Nm) of torque when running on 100-octane race fuel, or 808 hp and 717 lb-ft (972 Nm) on 91-octane pump gas. The powerful muscle car originally had an MSRP of $84,995, but finding one now for less than $100,000 is extremely difficult.

Demon 170 Galore

Huntington Beach Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram

Then come the seven Demon 170s. Production ran far tighter here than on the standard car, capped at 3,301 units worldwide. The engine starts life as Dodge’s Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged V8, but the Hellcat’s 717 hp was only a starting figure. Dodge fortified the internals with upgraded pistons, fuel injectors, crankshaft, cylinder head studs and more, before bolting a larger 3.0-liter supercharger on top.

Also: From Over $200K To $128K, The Demon 170 Fell Hard And Fast

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Run it on E85 and the engine sends 1,025 hp and 945 lb-ft of torque through an eight-speed automatic to the rear wheels. Switch to the more common E10 pump gas and it still puts down 900 hp and 810 lb-ft. Dodge quoted an 8.91-second quarter mile at 151.2 mph and a 1.66-second sprint to 60 mph (97 km/h) with a rollout, quick enough to embarrass a Bugatti.

Four of the Demon 170s at this single dealership carry identical prices of $138,946, while the most expensive one wears Sublime paint and asks $155,536. At the other end sits a Plum Crazy Pearlcoat example with a $139,041 sticker.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Huntington Beach Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram