Scaled Composites Stratolaunch

Stratolaunch
Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch in flight over the city of Los Angeles (2023)
Roc carrying the Talon-A hypersonic testbed
General information
Other name(s)Roc
TypeMother ship aircraft
National originUnited States
ManufacturerScaled Composites
Primary userStratolaunch Systems
Number built1
RegistrationN351SL
Flights16[1]
History
First flightApril 13, 2019[2]

The Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch or Roc is an aircraft built by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, and subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing after a change of ownership. It was announced in December 2011, rolled out in May 2017,[2] and flew for the first time on April 13, 2019, shortly after the death of founder Paul Allen. The aircraft features a twin-fuselage design and the longest wingspan ever flown, at 385 feet (117 m), surpassing the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" flying boat of 321 feet (98 m). The Stratolaunch is intended to carry a 550,000-pound (250 t) payload and has a 1,300,000-pound (590 t) maximum takeoff weight.

The company ceased operations in May 2019, shortly after the first flight,[3] and placed all company assets, including the aircraft, for sale by June 2019.[4] In October 2019, Cerberus Capital Management acquired Stratolaunch Systems, including the Stratolaunch aircraft.[5] Stratolaunch announced in December 2019 that it would now be focusing on offering high-speed flight test services.[6] As of February 2024, the Stratolaunch has flown thirteen times.[7]

  1. ^ "Stratolaunch on Twitter: "Today Roc begins its flight envelope expansion series, the 16th flight for the world's largest aircraft."". Twitter. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Stratolaunch airborne in first flight of world's largest aircraft". Flightglobal. April 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sn20190118 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnbc20190614 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference gw20191211 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference floyd20191210 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Stratolaunch. "Stratolaunch Completes 2nd Captive Carry Flight with TA-1 Test Vehicle". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved February 24, 2024.