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California-based startup Stratolaunch has completed the first flight of the Talon-A hypersonic aircraft with an active engine. The startup’s ultimate goal is to develop a reusable version of the plane capable of flying them at 5 times the speed of sound.
The massive Roc launch vehicle lifted off Saturday from Mojave Air Space Port in California, carrying the TA-1. The plane then released the hypersonic vehicle at an altitude of about 10,700 meters, from where it sped through the sky at speeds approaching Mach 5.
“While I cannot share the specific altitude and speed achieved by the TA-1 due to our own agreements with our customers, we are pleased to report that in addition to meeting all primary and mandated flight objectives, we achieved high supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5 and collected a tremendous amount of data and achieved incredible value for our customers,” said Stratolaunch President and CEO Zachary Crevor.
The company will use the obtained data for its future TA-2 flight, a reusable version of the hypersonic aircraft. Its first flight is scheduled for the end of this year. Future versions of the Talon-A aircraft will have a rocket engine and be able to carry payloads at hypersonic speeds. The company also plans to develop a larger hypersonic aircraft called the Talon-Z and a Black Ice space plane that will carry payloads and possibly passengers into Earth orbit.
The Stratolaunch startup was founded in 2011 with the goal of using the Roc aircraft to launch Orbital ATK’s Pegasus XL rocket into space (similar to how Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo currently operates). After the death of founder Paul Allen in 2018, the company changed direction, focusing on the development, deployment and flight of hypersonic vehicles.
In December 2021, Stratolaunch announced a contract with the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency to provide a test bed for developing strategies to defend against hypersonic threats. Stratolaunch tries to simulate these missile threats with its hypersonic vehicles, which fly at high altitudes and speeds that make it difficult to issue pre-attack warnings.
Source: gizmodo
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