With its quirky aircraft attracting attention for its huge size and seemingly slow speed flying over the Central Coast on Saturday, Stratolaunch confirmed completion of its second captive-carry flight with the first powered Talon-A hypersonic vehicle, TA-1.
The launch platform Roc, touted as the largest operating in the world, marked its 13th flight on Saturday, traveling for 4 hours and 29 minutes while supporting the company’s near-term goal of completing a powered flight with the Talon-A vehicle. TA-1 is designed to be a reusable test vehicle.
This also was the second time the aircraft carried a Talon vehicle with live propellant aboard and was the first time TA-1 operated within the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s Western Range area, as the firm employs a buildup approach for the hypersonic Talon A’s eventual first powered flight.
One key objective Saturday involved evaluating Talon-A’s propulsion system and the flight environment while carrying live propellant, Stratolaunch representatives said.
They also intended to verify Roc and TA-1’s telemetry systems worked in tandem with range communication assets. That will be vital to ensure all systems are ready for powered flight during the TA-1’s release sequence for future tests.
“Our goal with this flight was to continue our risk reduction approach for TA-1’s first powered flight and be steadfast on our commitment of delivering maximum value to our customers when the first powered flight occurs,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, chief executive officer and president for Stratolaunch.
“Initial results of today’s flight look positive for each vehicle’s health and performance, and we will complete a comprehensive review of the test data to determine our next steps toward powered flight,” Krevor added.
Roc, which sports a dual-fuselage and a high-wing design with a wingspan extending 385 feet, is the namesake of an enormous legendary bird of prey.
The air-launched Talon-A has been designed as an autonomous reusable testbed that will allow future flight testing to be more accessible and affordable while flying super fast — Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound — to conduct science and technology experiments.
Rocket launches and missile tests at Vandenberg draw the most attention, but the Western Range regularly conducts a number of aeronautical missions over the ocean off the Central Coast, nearly unnoticed by local residents.
But Saturday’s flight caught the attention of residents in the Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys, who took to social media to report or ask about the odd aircraft flying in local skies.
The flight originated from the Mojave Air & Spaceport before traveling west for the test.
In May Stratolaunch, which is headquartered in Mojave, announced that its Roc carrier plane demonstrated that the Talon-A launch system can cleanly and safely separate hypersonic vehicles from the aircraft’s center-wing pylon.
Saturday’s mission follows another conducted in December off the Central Coast.
Along with conducting the TA-1 testing, Stratolaunch is manufacturing the TA-2 and TA-3 vehicles, which will be the first fully reusable vehicles in that Talon-A product line.
Pending full data results of the TA-1 first powered flight, TA-2 is anticipated to take flight later in 2024, signaling the country’s return to reusable hypersonic flight test, Stratolaunch officials said.
The company is also working on modifications to its additional launch platform, the Spirit of Mojave, a modified Boeing 747-400 acquired from Virgin Galactic.