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By Andrew Stanton
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A mystery missile was reportedly launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, according to local reports.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon for comment via email.
What We Know About Cape Canaveral Missile Launch
The launch was reported by Florida Today and The Orlando Sentinel.
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The Sentinel reported that the U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security issued navigational warnings earlier in the week, similar to those issued for earlier hypersonic missile tests launched from Cape Canaveral. But there had been no public announcement of the launch, and more details remained slim Thursday afternoon.
The most recent of those launches was in April 2025, the Sentinel reported.
Photographer Jerry Pike wrote on X that the Department of Defense conducted “what appeared to be another successful test of the Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon from Cape Canaveral this afternoon.”
However, the Pentagon had not confirmed the type of missile launched.
What Is 'Dark Eagle' Missile?
In April 2025, the military test-launched the “Dark Eagle” long-range hypersonic missile, also known as the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).
The Dark Eagle is a ground-launched missile attached with a maneuverable hypersonic glide body as its warhead, the Congressional Research Service said in its report on Thursday. The missile has a reported range of 1,725 miles with a top speed of over 3,800 miles per hour, Newsweek previously reported.
A Congressional Research Service report on the missile reads, “The LRHW system provides the Army a strategic attack weapon system to defeat Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities, suppress adversary long-range fires, and engage other high payoff/time critical targets. The Army is working closely with the Navy in the development of the LRHW. LRHW is comprised of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body (C-HGB), and the Navy 34.5-inch booster.”
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The report notes that the Congressional Budget Office found it “is necessary to shield hypersonic missiles’ sensitive electronics, to understand how various materials perform, and predict aerodynamics at sustained temperatures as high as 3,000° Fahrenheit.”
A hypersonic weapon can travel at Mach 5 or faster—over five times the speed of sound. Both of the U.S.'s major rivals—Russia and China—as well as regional adversaries such as North Korea and Iran, say they have developed and deployed this new class of weapon. The U.S. has sought to close a "hypersonic gap" with some adversaries in recent years.
Where Is Cape Canaveral Space Force Station?
The Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is located in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The cape is on Florida's Space Coast, about 50 miles east of Orlando.
Update 3/26/26, 4:43 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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