Stratolaunch, a California-based aerospace company, has announced the latest successful test of its behemoth airplane called Roc, which released a test version of the company’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft mid-flight from its center pylon this past weekend.
Stratolaunch conducted the test on Saturday afternoon, during which Roc flew off the coast of California above the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Western Range. Roc spent four hours and eight minutes in the air, while Stratolaunch tested telemetry between the aircraft and Vandenberg Space Force Base, and, more importantly, the plane’s payload separation capabilities.
During the flight, Roc released TA-0, a test version of Stratolaunch’s Talon-A hypersonic aircraft. The company has flown Roc with TA-0 previously, but this is the first time Stratolaunch released the expendable prototype. With this successful test Stratolaunch hopes to begin the first hypersonic flight of another Talon-A testbed—dubbed TA-1—in late summer.
“Today’s test was exceptional,” said Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch CEO and president, in a press release. “It was exhilarating to see TA-0 release safely away from Roc, and I commend our team and partners. Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight.” READ MORE...
