Stratolaunch flies second captive carry flight with fueled TA-1 test vehicle

by Cathy Hansen
special to Aerotech News

Another historic flight took place at Mojave Air & Space Port when Stratolaunch, with a 385-foot wingspan, flew with the fueled TA-1 test vehicle on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. It was the thirteenth flight of carrier aircraft “Roc” and the second flight carrying the Talon hypersonic vehicle with propellant onboard. According to a press release by Stratolaunch, it was also the first time TA-1 operated within the Vandenberg Western Range, as part of a buildup approach for Talon-A’s first powered flight.

Talon-A is a reusable autonomous hypersonic testbed vehicle, which will provide a flexible test architecture for hypersonic flights and experimentation.

Stratolaunch made two low passes down the runway, before landing on the third approach. There was a slight crosswind, but it wasn’t enough to alter the perfect landing. The two chase planes, an L-39 and a Cessna Citation, landed on runway 08.

According to Stratolaunch, “The flight lasted a total of 4 hours and 29 minutes, supporting the company’s near-term goal of completing a powered flight with the Talon-A vehicle, TA-1. A primary objective was to evaluate Talon-A’s propulsion system and the flight environments while carrying live propellant. A second objective was to verify Roc and TA-1’s telemetry systems in tandem with range communication assets, which together provides the situational awareness needed to ensure all systems are ready for powered flight during the release sequence.”

“We collected valuable data during our first captive carry of TA-1 in December 2023, particularly regarding propellant management of TA-1’s feed system,” said Dr. Zachary Krevor, chief executive officer and president of Stratolaunch. “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.”

Stratolaunch flies second captive carry flight with fueled TA-1 test vehicle — Photo by Evan Hawley

Next Step – Powered Flight!

Dr. Krevor added, “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.”