On October 7, 2015, a two stage Terrier MK70 Black Brant Mk4, launched from the ARC launcher on pad 2 as a test flight of the new Black Brant Mk4 motor. The objectives of this mission were to characterize the motor performance in a Black Brant IX configuration and to provide NASA and the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC) an opportunity to test new technology experiments from Orbital ATK, the AFSS experiment from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and NASA WFF, and sub-payload ejection technology (including rocket propelled ampules controlled by NSROC's new 2-event Ampule Control Module (ACM) and the Lynch Ejectables).

The rocket also will release vapor clouds using a new ejection system. Such clouds are used to study wind in space and the ionosphere. The new system could allow researchers to study wider areas during future launches, officials say.

The vapor, which is to be released about 130 miles above the Earth, will contain a barium-strontium mixture that produces a cloud with a mix of blue-green and red colors.