Stratolaunch’s 117-meter wingspan successfully unleashed a prototype of a supersonic aircraft off the coast of California .
Talon-0 vehicle detached from under the belly of the Roc aircraft. (Photo: Stratolaunch)
Stratolaunch, a California-based aerospace company, takes another important step toward making hypersonic launch systems a reality. Last week, the company successfully dropped the Talon-0 (TA-0) test vehicle from a Roc transport aircraft . Possessing two parallel fuselages, six Boeing 747 engines, 28 wheels and a 117-meter wing (longer than a football field), Roc is the world’s largest aircraft by wingspan, according to Space .
Roc took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in Southern California on the morning of May 13, beginning its 11th test flight. Roc carried the company’s TA-0 test vehicle between the fuselages. Giant plane headed west, dropping TA-0 off the coast of California. Talon-0 was not powered by an engine, so it could not fly, but the vehicle performed a series of jabs and continuously transmitted telemetry data to the mission team until it reached the water surface in the planned collision. . At the same time, Roc flew back to land at Mojave about 4 hours and 8 minutes after takeoff, ending testing.
Stratolaunch plans to use Roc to carry a smaller supersonic unmanned aircraft, the Talon-A (TA-1), to an altitude of 10,000 meters. At that point, it will be released from under Roc’s fuselage to fly on its own. The missile-operated TA-1 vehicle will continue to reach speeds above Mach 5 (6,174 km/h) before landing automatically on the runway. The company hopes to be able to use many of the TA-1s in research into aspects of hypersonic flight. Meanwhile, Stratolaunch is working on perfecting Roc’s vehicle drop system. The TA-0 was hoisted by a winch onto the wing-shaped aluminum pylons located under the Roc’s fuselage. Last October, Roc made the first flight carrying the TA-0 but did not conduct a separate test.
Not only did the TA-0 quickly detach from the Roc, but the two aircraft also maintained radio communication with each other and with the base’s communications system after the clearance process was completed. This function will be used to transmit backup telemetry data during TA-1’s supersonic flight, which is scheduled to take place later this year in the Northern Hemisphere.