The largest Roc aircraft produced by Stratolaunch successfully made its first flight from Mojave Airfield Port in California on March 9. This giant has a wingspan of 117 meters and was created specifically for airborne rocket launches. Roc’s flight took place over the Pacific Ocean, where the Talon-A spacecraft, a miniature version of the space shuttle, was launched.

This was Stratolaunch’s first flight carrying a true hypersonic payload. Talon-A never reached hypersonic speeds, but Stratolaunch confirmed that it did reach high supersonic speeds, collecting valuable data for future missions.

Emphasizing the importance of this test, Stratolaunch CEO Zachary Crevor announced that the next aircraft, TA-2, is planned to be launched in the near future: “Although I cannot share the specific altitude and speed achieved due to the agreements made with TA-1. We will provide our customers with all the basic “And in addition to completing customer missions, we are pleased to report that we have achieved high supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5 and collected large amounts of data that have provided incredible benefit to our customers.”

TA-1 is a “pioneer” for the next version, which can be both reusable and reach hypersonic speeds. According to Krevor, the company’s next flight of the TA-2 aircraft could take place this year.

Founded in 2011 with the aim of creating a giant rocket launch vehicle, Stratolaunch has embarked on a long development journey. The company was funded by Microsoft founder and aviation enthusiast Paul Allen, who invested heavily in the project.

Over time, the aircraft’s wingspan increased to 117 meters, almost twice that of the Boeing 747. Construction of the Stratolaunch was a complex and lengthy process, and the Roc was so large that normal flights were impractical.

The company has also sought to form partnerships with other aerospace companies. Stratolaunch worked with SpaceX and Orbital ATK at various times, but both of these partnerships fell through. As a result, Stratolaunch announced the creation of its own rocket series.

Following the death of Paul Allen in 2018, the company faced financial problems and its future was in doubt. Later in 2020, Stratolaunch was acquired by investment company Cerberus, allowing development to continue. Hypersonic vehicles will now be launched instead of orbital missiles to test the technology, which is one of the priorities of the US military.

The flight was a turning point for another aviation company, Ursa Major Technologies. TA-1 is equipped with the Hadley rocket engine, designed and manufactured by Ursa Major, a company specializing in the development of rocket propulsion systems.