Stratolaunch: General Company and Development Updates and Discussions

[john smith 19]

Hot damn. Looks like Allen heirs consider Stratolaunch as a vanity project and a liability ?

Pretty much. They don't seem very interested in honoring his legacy, but then again Stratolaunch chopped and changed so much (going to have an F4, then OSC custom solid, then Pegasus) it's hard to say what that legacy was going to be. 

Still a hell of an aircraft and I think it could have some similar applications to White Knight 2, carrying large third party payloads.

[TrevorMonty]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

[john smith 19]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

Isn't it mostly built out of two old Jumbos?

There should still be a fair after market for them.

[envy887]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

Isn't it mostly built out of two old Jumbos?

There should still be a fair after market for them.

The engines are 747 retreads. The rest of the plane is almost entirely custom.

[Robotbeat]

...and 747s are slowly being retired except for cargo...

[mn]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

Isn't it mostly built out of two old Jumbos?

There should still be a fair after market for them.

The engines are 747 retreads. The rest of the plane is almost entirely custom.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites_Stratolaunch

Stratolaunch is powered by six Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines positioned on pylons outboard of each fuselage, providing 56,750 lbf (252.4 kN) of thrust per engine. Many of the aircraft systems have been adopted from the Boeing 747-400, including the engines, avionics, flight deck, landing gear and other systems, reducing development costs.

So more than just the engines, but still essentially a custom airplane, not easily, cheaply or quickly replicated.

Edit: More details here: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/paul-allens-giant-plane-takes-shape-in-the-desert-but-its-market-is-unclear/

Allen bought two used jumbo jets formerly flown by United Airlines and cannibalized them for parts that account for about half the empty weight of the Roc

[Zed_Noir]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

If someone buys the Roc, then they will need to make parts for it. Maybe they might build one or two additional units. Of course the Antonov An-225 have operated a single example in commercial uses since 2002. So a single unit might work for commercial uses.

However the Roc needs replacement engines for noise abatement and increase flight performance along with access to maintenance support in various maintenance centers.

[russianhalo117]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

If someone buys the Roc, then they will need to make parts for it. Maybe they might build one or two additional units. Of course the Antonov An-225 have operated a single example in commercial uses since 2002. So a single unit might work for commercial uses.

However the Roc needs replacement engines for noise abatement and increase flight performance along with access to maintenance support in various maintenance centers.

There is more than one AN-225, but only one is completed. Second could be completed in about 2 years with hardware for several more due to being C-5M equivalent in class and tri purpose nature. AN-225 shares many common parts with AN-124. Ukrainian/Russian relationship in the early 90s resulted in AN-225 production being indefinitely frozen.

[Lars-J]

I can't see anyone build business around this aircaft. With no backup the business is toast if Stratolaunch has an accident.

If someone buys the Roc, then they will need to make parts for it. Maybe they might build one or two additional units. Of course the Antonov An-225 have operated a single example in commercial uses since 2002. So a single unit might work for commercial uses.

An-225 was developed from from the An-124, which it shares a lot of parts with. Which is why the 225 has been able to operate.

[CameronD]

...and 747s are slowly being retired except for cargo...

Yeah, that's an interesting one.  IIRC, the 747 was designed as a cargo aircraft long before any thought of shoving passengers in it (hence the 'upper deck').  There are a huge number of pilots out there trained on the 747 and who like flying the 747 and a large number of operators still using them with many more still in storage... so "slowly being retired" may, like the venerable old DC-3, take some decades yet.

[Asteroza]

The thing that really stops the use of the Roc in cargo like the AN-225 is the number of available airports that can handle it. Volga Dnepr I believe is the operator of the AN-124/AN-225 commercial cargo fleet, and they were thinking of having a few modified AN-124 (vertical stretch) made to handle payloads that weren't fitting in the AN-225 (or an AN-225 couldn't land at desired airports, but weight-wise would have been OK on an AN-124). Note that they were semi-serious about footing the bill for the mods, possibly as part of an AN-124 airframe refresh version/new build program, rather than finishing AN-225 #2. Then there's the stories of chinese MoU regarding #2 being finished...

You gotta ask yourself, what doesn't fit in an AN-225 or a Beluga that the Roc could handle, to a place the customer wants, that absolutely must be in one piece, that can't be barged or sent via overland transport reasonably? Not too many of those.

[russianhalo117]

The thing that really stops the use of the Roc in cargo like the AN-225 is the number of available airports that can handle it. Volga Dnepr I believe is the operator of the AN-124/AN-225 commercial cargo fleet, and they were thinking of having a few modified AN-124 (vertical stretch) made to handle payloads that weren't fitting in the AN-225 (or an AN-225 couldn't land at desired airports, but weight-wise would have been OK on an AN-124). Note that they were semi-serious about footing the bill for the mods, possibly as part of an AN-124 airframe refresh version/new build program, rather than finishing AN-225 #2. Then there's the stories of chinese MoU regarding #2 being finished...

You gotta ask yourself, what doesn't fit in an AN-225 or a Beluga that the Roc could handle, to a place the customer wants, that absolutely must be in one piece, that can't be barged or sent via overland transport reasonably? Not too many of those.

AN-225 number one has serial UR-82060 and is operated exclusively by Ukrainian division Antonov Airlines later with 2006 partnership Volga-Dnepr. It is certified to fly until the end of 2033, but is scheduled to undergo complete modernization to become an AN-225M. The second one is stalled again due to the Ukrainian Russian geopolitical conflict because the only operating plant is in Russia.

[JAFO]

...and 747s are slowly being retired except for cargo...

Yeah, that's an interesting one.  IIRC, the 747 was designed as a cargo aircraft long before any thought of shoving passengers in it (hence the 'upper deck'). 

Partially right. Pan Am was the launch customer for the Whale, with the SST on the horizon Juan Trippe wasn't sure it would be viable as a pure passenger airplane/thought the SST would replace it and insisted the 74 be able to do both jobs (ass and trash). Of course, the SST died on the drawing board, and the rest....
https://www.airspacemag.com/how-things-work/how-the-747-got-its-hump-4578877/
https://www.airspacemag.com/daily-planet/a-new-dawn-partially-realized-77109979/

Even today, many of our flights from China-US are passenger limited so we can carry as much cargo (iPads, etc) as we can, tariffs notwithstanding. In fact, I'm typing this right now from my bunk in an airplane only carrying a half load of passengers but we took off at MGTOW because of full cargo bins, greetings from FL390.

[PM3]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-exploration-stratolaunch-exclus/exclusive-space-firm-founded-by-billionaire-paul-allen-closing-operations-sources-idUSKCN1T12FD

Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, the space company founded by late billionaire and Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen, is closing operations, cutting short ambitious plans to challenge traditional aerospace companies in a new “space race,” four people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

[Elmar Moelzer]

Was sort of predictable. They could have been interesting with their SSTO ambitions, but without their own rockets the project was pretty much doomed. Wonder whether anyone will buy the Roc. Virgin Orbit, maybe?

[jarmumd]

I'm really sad to hear that.  Hopefully this isn't the end.  Just a couple weeks ago I got a tour of the plane, looks like it was just in time.

[Lars-J]

Sad to read, but so very predictable. 

Many here on the form (including myself) labeled the aircraft as a Spruce Goose Mk II.

[Kansan52]

And as SG MK II, a museum will be the best out come. Stripped and mothball is my guess.

[Star One]

I haven’t seen any of the reputable aviation sites report on this as of yet. Which in of itself is interesting.

[Robotbeat]

I haven’t seen any of the reputable aviation sites report on this as of yet. Which in of itself is interesting.

Indeed.

Stratolaunch claims to still be "operational" according to:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/the-worlds-largest-aircraft-may-never-launch-rockets-nor-even-fly-again/