Unlocks New Capabilities for Largest Flying Aircraft

Stratolaunch recently completed a set of flight tests aimed to expand the envelope of its Roc air launch aircraft. With a 385 foot wingspan, the Roc is larger than any other aircraft to date.

This series of flight tests were held during May and June. They confirmed Roc’s ability to support speeds up to Mach 0.63, operate at altitudes up to 35,000 feet, and return to flight with a shortened break period. During this time, Stratolaunch was also able to renew the proficiency of its current team while training new members on operating procedures.

“Scaling our team and deepening their skills to meet future business needs is equally important to confirming our hardware achieves maximum performance,” explained Stratolaunch CEO Dr. Zachary Krevor. “We’re working hard to build redundancy within the team so that we are soon able to perform concurrent launch operations between Roc and the Spirit of Mojave at any given time and location.”

Roc is a high-wing aircraft that can transport more than 500,000 lbs of payload. It will fulfill several air-launch purposes, though its current primary objective is to host Stratolaunch’s Talon-A1 vehicle.

The TA-1 is the company’s new autonomous, reusable testbed. It took its first flight on March 9, reaching speeds of almost Mach 5. Roc’s expanded operational altitude will allow the Talon-A vehicle to approach faster speeds and higher altitudes.

Stratolaunch is now working to prepare its first fully reusable Talon-A vehicle (TA-2) for its flight debut, slated for late 2024. Before this can occur, the team needs to conclude TA-2’s solo ground tests and conduct integrated ground tests with the Roc.

“This is an outstanding accomplishment by our Roc and Mission Operations team,” continued Krevor. “We know Roc and our team are ready to meet this demand, so it’s now a matter of testing and learning from our first TA-2 flights that we’ll complete later this year. This is an exciting time for our company and our customers as our routine hypersonic flight test service becomes reality.”

FMI: www.stratolaunch.com