California aerospace company Stratolaunch has taken a major step closer to the realization of its planned hypersonic flight launch system. Last weekend, the firm successfully released the TA-0 test vehicle from its Roc carrier aircraft.
Sporting two side-by-side fuselages, six Boeing 747 engines, 28 wheels, and wings that stretch 385 ft (117 m) from tip to tip, the Roc is the world’s largest aircraft by wingspan.
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Stratolaunch plans on using the plane to carry its smaller uncrewed Talon-A (TA-1) hypersonic aircraft to an altitude of 35,000 ft (10,000 m), at which point it will be released from the underside of the Roc to fly on its own. The rocket-powered TA-1 will proceed to reach speeds of over Mach 5 before autonomously landing on a runway.
Read more: New Atlas
