Stratolaunch, LLC successfully completed the first powered flight of the Talon-A test vehicle, achieving what officials called a major milestone en route to developing a hypersonic craft to conduct science and technology experiments.

Saturday’s test took place off the Central Coast in an area deemed the Western Range, which falls under Vandenberg Space Force Base. While rocket launches and missile tests at Vandenberg draw the most attention, the Western Range also regularly conducts a number of aeronautical missions often unnoticed by local residents.

Before the test could occur, the firm’s quirky and huge Roc plane took off from Mojave Air & Spaceport to travel to the test area with Talon-A tucked underneath. 

“Today’s test represented a significant milestone in the development of the country’s very first privately funded, reusable hypersonic test capability, the first of which the U.S. hasn’t seen since the 1960s,” Dr. Zachary Krevor, chief executive officer and president for Stratolaunch, said in a post-launch press conference.

The test included releasing TA-1 while the aircraft flew over the Pacific Ocean, but officials remained mum about the specific altitude and speed TA-1 reached due to proprietary agreements with customers. 

However, an early review of the data shows the TA-1 met all primary and customer objectives of the flight including high supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5, Stratolaunch representatives said. 

Additionally, they collected what Krevor called “a great amount of data at an incredible value to our customers,” with the Stratolaunch team expected to dive deeper into the test results in the coming days. 

“Our goal with this flight was to continue our risk reduction approach for TA-2’s first reusable flight and be steadfast on our commitment of delivering maximum value to our customers,” he said. “We are excited to review the data from today’s test and use it as we plan our next steps toward TA-2’s first flight later this year.”

The test releasing TA-1 took place two weeks after another flight that did not involve releasing the vehicle, but the ROC’s trek to Vandenberg Feb. 24 attracted attention around the Lompoc and Santa Maria valleys.

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 missions for commercial and national security customers.

“It’s always exciting to see Roc take off, as folks can imagine, the world’s largest airplane at least by wingspan,” Krevor said. “It makes quite an impression as it leaves the runway. 

“However, it was another level of exhilaration today watching Talon release, seeing our Mach meter start to increase, watching it accelerate past Mach 1 and then reaching our high supersonic speed in accordance with our predictions and plans for today,” Krevor added. 

TA-1 was designed as an expendable, or throwaway vehicle, under the Stratolaunch incremental development approach, but future versions will be reused.

Aaron Cassebeer, senior vice president of engineering and operations, said the team was “incredibly pleased” with the TA-1 performance.

“As it stands right now, we are well-positioned to continue our planned test series with TA-2 and the first fully reusable vehicle,” Cassebeer said.

Talon-A’s Hadley engine, developed by Ursa Major, met expectations, propelling the vehicle for approximately 200 seconds.

Cassebeer also noted the close working relationship with Space Launch Delta 30 personnel in conducting tests, getting key critical data, telemetry support and more. 

“In summary, today’s flight was fantastic and a huge success all around for our company,” he said. 

Along with testing TA-1, the team continues to manufacture additional Talon vehicles and expects a TA-2 test could take place in the second half of 2024.