spacetoday.net: Stratolaunch conducts first Talon powered flight

Posted: Sat, Mar 16, 2024, 11:26 AM ET (1526 GMT)
Stratolaunch successfully launched its first Talon vehicle intended for hypersonics research. The Talon TA-1 vehicle launched from the company's Roc aircraft March 9 off the coast of central California, after the plane took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port. Stratolaunch said TA-1 reached its intended "high supersonic" speeds approaching Mach 5 on the flight, then glided to a splashdown in the Pacific. Stratolaunch was founded more than a decade ago to develop an air-launch system, but pivoted to hypersonics after the death of its founder, Paul Allen. The launch was also the first flight of Ursa Major's Hadley engine, which powers the TA-1, and the companies said the engine performed as planned. Stratolaunch is now turning its attention to its TA-2 reusable hypersonic vehicle, with flight tests slated to begin later this year.