{"id":17563,"date":"2021-04-29T18:41:42","date_gmt":"2021-04-29T10:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/we-are-airborne-stratolaunch-sends-the-worlds-biggest-plane-on-second-test-flight\/"},"modified":"2021-04-29T18:41:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T10:41:42","slug":"we-are-airborne-stratolaunch-sends-the-worlds-biggest-plane-on-second-test-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/we-are-airborne-stratolaunch-sends-the-worlds-biggest-plane-on-second-test-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We are airborne!\u2019 Stratolaunch sends the world\u2019s biggest plane on second test flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_617523\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-617523\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-617523\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2-630x362.jpg\" alt=\"Stratolaunch airplane in flight\" width=\"630\" height=\"362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2-630x362.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2-1260x725.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2-768x442.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2-1536x884.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/210429-strato2.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-617523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stratolaunch\u2019s Roc carrier plane flies above California\u2019s Mojave Desert. (Stratolaunch via Twitter)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stratolaunch, the aerospace company founded by the late Seattle billionaire Paul Allen, put the world\u2019s biggest airplane through its second flight test today, two years after the first flight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are airborne!\u201d Stratolaunch reported in a tweet.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s takeoff from California\u2019s Mojave Air and Space Port at 7:28 a.m. PT marked the first time the plane, nicknamed Roc after the giant bird of Arabian and Persian mythology, got off the ground since Stratolaunch\u2019s acquisition by Cerberus Capital Management in October 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Roc rose as high as 14,000 feet and traveled at a top speed of 199 mph during a flight that lasted three hours and 14 minutes \u2014 which is close to an hour longer than the first flight on April 13, 2019. During that earlier flight, the airplane reached a maximum speed of 189 mph and maximum altitude of 17,000 feet.<\/p>\n<p>Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch\u2019s chief operating officer, said today\u2019s flight accomplished all of its test objectives by checking the performance of improved instrumentation, a more robust flight control system and an environmental control system that allowed the pilots to work in a pressurized cockpit. Krevor said the crew included chief pilot Evan Thomas, pilot Mark Giddings and flight engineer Jake Riley.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1388343371475787781&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2021%2Fairborne-stratolaunch-sends-worlds-biggest-airplane-second-test-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=ddc5fcdd3a0d6d5beecf064b3ed03fdad87785ce&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1388343371475787781\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782798810518717227=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Recap from yesterday. Roc flew for 3 hours and 14 minutes at a max altitude of 14,000 ft. and a max speed of 178 kts. Beautiful shot from our chase plane. More tests in the works. pic.twitter.com\/Ib9mYnqY1Z<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stratolaunch (@Stratolaunch) May 1, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The flight\u2019s spiciest moment came at touchdown, when one of the mammoth plane\u2019s landing gears settled the runway while the other was still in the air. \u201cWe did touch down initially on one gear, but that\u2019s exactly the technique we prefer to use during a crosswind landing,\u201d Krevor told GeekWire during a post-landing teleconference. \u201cThough we stayed within our crosswind limits, we did have a little bit of a crosswind, and the aircrew did an excellent job of bringing the aircraft down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since Roc\u2019s first flight in 2019, the business model for the 10-year-old venture has shifted: In its early years, Stratolaunch focused on using Roc as a flying launch pad for sending rockets and their payloads to orbit. The concept capitalizes on the air launch system pioneered by SpaceShipOne, which won financial backing from Allen and won the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004,<\/p>\n<p>The new owners still expect to use Roc for air launch, but the current focus is on using the plane as a testbed for Stratolaunch\u2019s hypersonic flight vehicles, Once the plane is cleared for regular operations, perhaps next year, Stratolaunch could begin launching its Talon-A prototype hypersonic plane.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=b0yle&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1387826410463531009&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geekwire.com%2F2021%2Fairborne-stratolaunch-sends-worlds-biggest-airplane-second-test-flight%2F&amp;sessionId=ddc5fcdd3a0d6d5beecf064b3ed03fdad87785ce&amp;siteScreenName=geekwire&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1387826410463531009\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782798810518717227=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Touchdown!! Successful flight tests to round out the day. What a beautiful sight. pic.twitter.com\/gdssjvoN8x<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stratolaunch (@Stratolaunch) April 29, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>David Millman, Stratolaunch\u2019s chief technology officer, said the company plans to build three hypersonic vehicles. He said that should open the way for conducting hypersonic tests at least once every 17 days, matching the tempo of flights for the X-15 rocket plane in the 1960s,<\/p>\n<p>Hypersonic flight at five times the speed of sound is a big deal for military applications. Russia and China are said to be working on hypersonic weapons systems, and the U.S. military is keen to keep up. Stratolaunch expects its technology to figure in the Pentagon\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s exactly one of the areas that we\u2019re looking at: how can we help the Department of Defense in mitigating risks for all their extensive flight testing,\u201d Millman told GeekWire.<\/p>\n<p>Millman said Stratolaunch\u2019s Talon testbed will be able to carry payloads, test materials and fly a variety of profiles that can help the Pentagon determine characteristics of hypersonic flight before it conducts costly full-blown flights of its own hypersonic vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing is providing a path or them to test a lot of their technologies in a simpler way, in a repeatable way, in a useful way so that they can get to their all-up rounds much quicker,\u201d Millman said.<\/p>\n<p>Stratolaunch hasn\u2019t ruled out eventually pursuing other applications for its launch system, including sending satellite payloads and crewed space planes into orbit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_617669\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-617669\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-617669\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-630x602.jpeg\" alt=\"Hadley engine for Stratolaunch Talon-A\" width=\"630\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-630x602.jpeg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-1260x1204.jpeg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-768x734.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-1536x1468.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/engine1-2048x1957.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-617669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stratolaunch\u2019s Talon-A hypersonic vehicle is slated to use Ursa Major Technologies\u2019 Hadley rocket engine, shown in the foreground. The airframe structure for a Talon-A prototype designed for flight separation testing is visible in the background. (Stratolaunch Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other companies, principally including Virgin Orbit, are also working on next-generation air launch technology. Such systems hold the promise of greater versatility and quicker response time for launching payloads, due to the fact that the carrier planes can take off from a wide variety of runways, fly around inclement weather and theoretically launch their payloads in any desired orbital inclination.<\/p>\n<p>Stratolaunch\u2019s twin-fuselage, six-engine Roc airplane is in a class by itself, thanks to its world-record wingspan of 385 feet. In comparison, the wingspan of the modified Boeing 747 that Virgin Orbit is using comes to 211 feet. The previous record-holder was the Spruce Goose, a prototype seaplane that made its debut in 1947 and had a 320-foot wingspan. Built by Mojave-based Scaled Composites, Roc has the capacity to carry more than 500,000 pounds of payload.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is an updated version of a report first published at 10:31 a.m. PT April 29.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stratolaunch\u2019s Roc carrier plane flies above California\u2019s Mojave Desert. (Stratolaunch via Twitter) Stratolaunch, the aerospace company founded by the late Seattle billionaire Paul Allen, put the world\u2019s biggest airplane through its second flight test today, two years after the first flight. \u201cWe are airborne!\u201d Stratolaunch reported in a tweet. Today\u2019s takeoff from California\u2019s Mojave Air [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[39,564,2489],"class_list":["post-17563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-aerospace","tag-aviation","tag-stratolaunch"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17563"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17563\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}