Mark Lewis, former acting deputy undersecretary of the Department of Defense for research and engineering, has joined Stratolaunch‘s technical advisory group. He brings experience in overseeing research and development activities across the DOD, having held positions at the Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other department components, Stratolaunch said Monday. Lewis […] More

Stratolaunch performed on Thursday the second flight test of its carrier aircraft that the company plans to use to support launches of its Talon-A hypersonic testbed vehicle. The plane, which has a wingspan of 375 feet, reached an altitude of 14,000 feet during the test flight over the Mojave Desert in California that lasted for 3 hours and 14 minutes.

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Charles Stark Draper Laboratory has signed a multiyear agreement to develop guidance, navigation and control software that Stratolaunch will use on a liquid rocket-powered reusable air vehicle for hypersonic tests.

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Stratolaunch is working on a reusable hypersonic vehicle designed to fly at speeds of up to Mach 7 to support hypersonic experiments, research and operational missions, SpaceNews reported Monday. Talon-A is an 8.5-meter-long hypersonic vehicle with a liquid-propellant rocket engine and a 3.4-meter wing span that can launch from the company's carrier aircraft.

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Stratolaunch Systems intends to establish industry partnerships on hypersonic efforts and continue high-speed flight testing activities by September, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.

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Stratolaunch Systems completed the inaugural flight of a 500K-pound, all-composite aircraft on Saturday over the Mojave Desert in California.

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Stratolaunch has introduced a suite of air-launch systems designed to bring satellites into different orbits or inclinations. The company said Monday its new offerings include the Pegasus space vehicle, which has performed more than 35 launches, and the Medium Launch Vehicle, which is designed for low-cost and flexible flight missions. Stratolaunch will also offer the MLV-Heavy, […] More

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