Stratolaunch Debuts Talon-A Separation Test VehicleNEWS PROVIDED BY Stratolaunch May 26, 2022, 14:28 ETMOJAVE, Calif., May 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch is excited to announce the public debut of its structurally complete Talon-A test vehicle, TA-0, in this week's issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology. This first Talon-A vehicle will be used to test and validate Roc's release system and characterize the separation dynamics of the Talon vehicle. In addition to the first view of the vehicle by itself, the article also includes recent photos of the first mating of TA-0 to Roc's pylon located on the center wing.The pylon, which was introduced during Roc's fifth test flight on May 4, will be used to carry and release Talon-A hypersonic vehicles. The hardware is comprised of a mini-wing and adapter that is constructed with aluminum and carbon fiber skins. It weighs approximately 8,000 pounds and occupies 14 feet of Roc's 95-foot center wingspan, allowing for adequate space between the aircraft's dual fuselages for safe vehicle release and launch. The custom structure also features a winch system that will load Talon-A vehicles onto the platform from the ground, expediting launch preparation and reducing the need for ground support.Although this first version of Talon-A will not be powered in flight, its future iterations will be rocket-powered, autonomous, reusable testbeds carrying customizable payloads at speeds above Mach 5. TA-0 will continue functional and integration testing in the coming months, culminating in a captive carry and vehicle flight later this year. After completing TA-0 separation testing, the company will transition to flying its first hypersonic test vehicle, TA-1. The team has also started fabrication of a third vehicle, TA-2, the first fully reusable hypersonic test vehicle.The Talon-A testbed capability ultimately enables routine access to the hypersonic flight environment, which is critical for scientific research, technological development, and component demonstration. "We're proud to reveal our first test vehicle to the public and our key stakeholders. TA-0 represents the immense progress our company has made toward hypersonic flight in a short period of time," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Chief Executive Officer and President at Stratolaunch. "Our pace of development parallels the nation's critical need for hypersonic test capabilities, and we are putting forth every effort toward becoming a national test asset for our government and commercial customers in 2023."
Welcome to a new chapter in hypersonic flight test. We recently mated TA-0 to Roc for the first time. The team will conduct functional and integration testing in the coming months, culminating in a captive carry and safe separation testing later this year. #LetsRoc
MOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (4572 m). The sixth flight focused on continuing Roc's flight envelope expansion with the recent addition of the pylon on the aircraft's center wing. The pylon, comprised of a mini-wing and adapter, will be used to safely carry and release reusable, rocket-powered Talon-A hypersonic vehicles.During the test program, the team encountered results that determined they would not complete the full set of test objectives. Therefore, the team focused on accomplishing: Continued validation of the aircraft's general performance and handling characteristics, with the addition of the recently installed pylon hardwareContinued validation of landing gear operations including door functionality, and alternate gear extension"Today's flight builds on previous successful flights and hardware enhancements," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch Chief Executive Officer and President. "We will leverage this flight experience as we complete integrated testing in the coming months and prepare for Talon-A test flights."The Stratolaunch team recently integrated the TA-0 separation test vehicle with the carrier aircraft for the first time, signaling a priority push toward captive carry and separation testing happening later this year. The team is also making steady progress on system integration its first hypersonic flight test vehicle, TA-1 and on the fabrication of a third vehicle, TA-2, the first fully reusable hypersonic test vehicle. The company anticipates delivering hypersonic flight services to government and commercial customers in 2023.
Press releaseQuoteMOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (45720 m).
MOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (45720 m).
Quote from: harrystranger on 06/09/2022 11:03 pmPress releaseQuoteMOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (45720 m). That should be 4572 m.
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 06/10/2022 07:18 amQuote from: harrystranger on 06/09/2022 11:03 pmPress releaseQuoteMOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (45720 m). That should be 4572 m.That really should be 4600 m. I have an aversion to "false precision".
Quote from: Steven Pietrobon on 06/10/2022 07:18 amQuote from: harrystranger on 06/09/2022 11:03 pmPress releaseQuoteMOJAVE, Calif., June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Stratolaunch announces the completion of its sixth flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 1 hour and 26 minutes over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (45720 m). That should be 4572 m. Don't be so pessimistic. Maybe it should have been 150,000 feet.
Today we’re flying our seventh Roc test flight! The flight will focus on continued flight envelope expansion #LetsRoc
Those with a critical eye will have noticed a new data probe on the pylon structure during the last flight. The air data boom will measure the aero environment near Talon-A to ensure we meet our release criteria for future Talon-A launches
A new altitude record for Roc has been reached: 27,000 ft.! This new max. altitude demonstrates we can reach the heights needed for effective Talon launch trajectories #LetsRoc
Stratolaunch announces the completion of its seventh flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 3 hours and 1 minute over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8200 meters), a new altitude record for the aircraft. The seventh flight focused on continuing Roc's flight envelope expansion with the recent addition of the pylon on the aircraft's center wing. Test objectives included:- Demonstration of increased maximum altitude capability- Continued validation of the aircraft's general performance and handling characteristics, with the addition of the recently installed pylon hardware- Continued validation of landing gear operations including door functionality, and alternate gear extension"Today's flight is a success story of the Stratolaunch team's ability to increase operational tempo to the pace desired by our customers for performing frequent hypersonic flight test," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch Chief Executive Officer and President. "Furthermore, the team reached a new altitude record of 27,000 feet, thereby demonstrating the aircraft performance needed for our Talon hypersonic vehicle to reach its wide design range of hypersonic conditions."The Stratolaunch team recently integrated the TA-0 separation test vehicle with the carrier aircraft for the first time, signaling a priority push toward captive carry and separation testing happening later this year. The company is also making solid progress on system integration of its first hypersonic flight test vehicle, TA-1 and on the fabrication of a third vehicle, TA-2, the first fully reusable hypersonic test vehicle. The company anticipates delivering hypersonic flight services to government and commercial customers in 2023.
Press release for the flight: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stratolaunch-roc-aircraft-reaches-new-heights-in-seventh-flight-301569949.html?tc=eml_cleartimeQuoteStratolaunch announces the completion of its seventh flight test of Roc, the world's largest flying aircraft. The aircraft flew for 3 hours and 1 minute over the Mojave Desert and reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8200 meters), a new altitude record for the aircraft. The seventh flight focused on continuing Roc's flight envelope expansion with the recent addition of the pylon on the aircraft's center wing. Test objectives included:- Demonstration of increased maximum altitude capability- Continued validation of the aircraft's general performance and handling characteristics, with the addition of the recently installed pylon hardware- Continued validation of landing gear operations including door functionality, and alternate gear extension"Today's flight is a success story of the Stratolaunch team's ability to increase operational tempo to the pace desired by our customers for performing frequent hypersonic flight test," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch Chief Executive Officer and President. "Furthermore, the team reached a new altitude record of 27,000 feet, thereby demonstrating the aircraft performance needed for our Talon hypersonic vehicle to reach its wide design range of hypersonic conditions."The Stratolaunch team recently integrated the TA-0 separation test vehicle with the carrier aircraft for the first time, signaling a priority push toward captive carry and separation testing happening later this year. The company is also making solid progress on system integration of its first hypersonic flight test vehicle, TA-1 and on the fabrication of a third vehicle, TA-2, the first fully reusable hypersonic test vehicle. The company anticipates delivering hypersonic flight services to government and commercial customers in 2023.
Just like a firework show on the 4th of July, the timing of the explosive bolts on our pylon release system must be precise. This past week the team successfully accomplished this important ground test that will ensure the clean separation of Talon-A from Roc’s center wing pylon.
