Important Innovations

  Stratolaunch's Roc Carries a Hypersonic Vehicle to 23,000 Feet                                                  Source:  Stratolaunch Major Moves Toward Hypersonic Commercial Flying at Mach 6 The world's largest airplane, California-based Stratolaunch's Roc, with a wingspan longer than a football field, just aced a major test flight while carrying a hypersonic prototype plane.  The success is important on a number of levels.  It moves Stratolaunch, whose mission is to launch small, autonomous, rocket powered hypersonic vehicles from altitudes of 35,000 feet, closer to test flying its Talon A hypersonic vehicle.  And it moves the world closer to hypersonic flying at speeds of Mach 6 and more.  This will eventually include commercial passenger planes traveling at six times the speed of sound or 4,570 mph.  Tha...

Stratolaunch's Hypersonic Vehicles                                             Source:  Stratolaunch Big Aviation Technology Breakthroughs Mojave, California based, aerospace company Stratolaunch just unveiled its hypersonic vehicle Talon-A, known as TA-O. TA-O prototypes are designed to fly at speeds of Mach 5 or 3,705 mph.  In the very near future, the company intends to launch TA-O from its huge aircraft carrier Roc. Roc is the world's largest plane with a wingspan of 385 feet. It is 238 feet long and 50 feet tall.  It has successfully completed its fifth flight.  Founded by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the company is setting the pace for huge aviation technology breakthroughs. First Flight The first TA-O prototype vehicle will initially be carried into flight by Roc this year to access how the vehicle impacts Roc's flight ...