A Stratolaunch Systems-built aircraft designed to facilitate air launches of rockets to deliver satellites into orbit could perform its maiden flight as early as this summer, the Washington Post reported Monday. Company officials told reporters at the Space Symposium that taxi tests are now underway and that the aircraft could be ready for its initial […] More

Stratolaunch Systems has completed a ground-based control test of its aircraft designed to facilitate air launches of rockets in order to bring satellites into low-Earth orbit, ValueWalk reported Wednesday. Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder who established Stratolaunch in 2011, said in a Twitter post that the Seattle, Washington-based company’s aircraft recorded 46 miles per hour in top […] More

Stratolaunch Systems has signed an agreement with NASA to conduct engine tests at the agency’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, Space News reported Wednesday. NASA and Stratolaunch inked Sept. 13 the Space Act Agreement that contains a provision for reimbursable tests and related services to the company in support of ground system, vehicle and propulsion […] More

Orbital ATK and Stratolaunch Systems, a subsidiary of Vulcan Aerospace, have formed a partnership in an effort to provide commercial launch customers access to low-Earth orbit through air-launch space services. Orbital ATK will initially supply several Pegasus XL rockets for integration with Stratolaunch’s aircraft as part of the partnership, the companies said Thursday. The Stratolaunch plane […] More

Aerojet Rocketdyne will supply six RL10C-1 production engines to Stratolaunch Systems Corp. under a contract for the third stage of a commercial air-launch system for Stratolaunch’s unmanned Thunderbolt rocket. Aerojet Rocketdyne said Monday the contract also contains an option for six additional RL10C-1 engines for The Eagles Launch System, which is scheduled to launch Thunderbolt into space in 2018. “This contract expands our reach into […] More

Edward Morris, former senior director for launch system programs at Stratolaunch Systems, has joined Decisive Analytics to serve as vice president for commercial space.

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Seattle-based space industry leaders have urged Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., to help establish a space center in Washington in response to the state’s lag behind other states, including California and Texas, Geekwire reported Friday. Executives such as Aerospace Futures Alliance CEO Kelly Maloney and Aerojet Rocketdyne General Manager Ken Young voiced out their ideas as […] More

Steven Nixon, vice president of strategic development at space transportation company  Stratolaunch Systems, has joined Ensco‘s board of directors. Greg Young, Ensco chairman of the board, said in a statement published Thursday Nixon will bring his experience and background to help drive the firm’s strategy and presence across the defense, space and intelligence markets. Nixon previously served as a strategy […] More

Orbital ATK is pursuing new opportunities for its Pegasus air-launch rocket with no plans to phase out the vehicle, Spaceflight Now reported Tuesday. Stephen Clark writes company officials believe Pegasus will continue to perform missions beyond its June 2017 launch of NASA‘s Ionospheric Connection Explorer satellite. Orbital ATK entered a partnership with Vulcan Aerospace‘s Stratolaunch Systems subsidiary in October to deploy Pegasus […] More

Timothy Rumford, formerly an operating unit director within Northrop Grumman‘s tactical space systems division, has been appointed vice president of operations at Leesburg, Virginia-based aerospace technical services provider Optimum Technologies. Rumford comes to OpTech with three decades of aerospace industry experience across business, program management and engineering areas, the company said Monday. In his previous […] More

John Benac, former mechanical systems design and analysis engineer at Boeing, has joined NanoRacks to serve as director of engineering.

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