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| The World's Largest Aircraft 'Roc Stratolaunch' Successfully Tests a Hypersonic Vehicle for the First Time |
International Military - The world's largest aircraft, the Roc Stratolaunch successfully tested releasing a hypersonic vehicle from the air for the first time. This test was conducted over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of central California on Saturday May 13, 2023.
The Roc Stratolaunch aircraft successfully released its prototype hypersonic vehicle, named Talon, without significant problems. This success is a major milestone for developing hypersonic vehicles in the future.
"With the completion of this important milestone, we are proceeding to prepare for our first hypersonic flight in late autumn this year," Zachary Krevor, CEO and president of Stratolaunch told reporters Monday 15 May 2023.
The Roc spacecraft took off from Mojave Air and Space Harbor in Southern California on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at around 9:00 a.m. local time. Stratolaunch said this was the 11th flight test for the Roc aircraft.
The Roc aircraft, which has a wingspan longer than a football field, carried the Talon-0 separation test vehicle between its twin fuselage. The giant craft headed west, eventually bringing down Talon-0 while it was overhead off the central coast of California.
Talon-0 is not equipped with an engine, so it does not perform engine-thrust flights. However, the hypersonic vehicle performed various gliding maneuvers and continued sending telemetry back to the mission team until it landed in the water. The impact of the damage that occurred was part of the plan in the flight trial.
After releasing the Talon-0 hypersonic vehicle, the Roc plane landed in Mojave four hours and eight minutes after take-off and ended its test flight. The success of this test drive closer to plans for the Stratolaunch's first hypersonic flight.
The Stratolaunch company was founded by Paul Allen in 2011 with the initial goal of launching an airborne rocket that was carried high into the atmosphere. However, the company's vision changed after Allen died in 2019, Stratolaunch turned Roc into a platform for research and development of hypersonic vehicles.