Photo: Stratolaunch
Stratolaunch announced that its massive carrier aircraft, the Roc, has successfully completed its third test flight. The airplane's performance was verified during the flight, moving Roc closer to support the launch of the company's first hypersonic test vehicle.
Stratolaunch's twin-fuselage Roc is an impressive aircraft. Powered by six Boeing 747 engines, it's the world's largest airplane with wings about the size of a football field. Stratolaunch has been advancing its carrier aircraft's capabilities to further prepare it to support launches of its upcoming fleet of hypersonic vehicles.
Roc took off on January 16th, at 8:47 a.m. PST for its third test flight. It climbed to a 23,500 feet (7,163 meters) altitude and reached a speed of 207 mph (333 kph). The massive airplane flew over the Mojave Desert for four hours and 23 minutes, managing to stay in the air more than ever.
The company verified the aircraft's performance at higher speeds and altitudes during the latest flight. The main focus was on the left mid-main gear operations.
"Testing the left main landing gear individually mitigated risk and provided our aircrew with options for landing the aircraft in the event the hardware didn't perform as expected," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch President and Chief Operating Officer.
The data obtained during the flight will be collected and used to further advance Roc's capabilities in order to support hypersonic testing. Ultimately, the aircraft will be able to carry and launch Stratolaunch's future Talon-A rocket-powered testbeds.
Talon-A vehicles can take off and land autonomously on conventional runways and can be loaded with customizable payloads. When launched from the Roc, they are able to achieve a flight speed that exceeds Mach 5.
The company says that it has already made great progress in developing its first two Talon-A test vehicles, the TA-0, and the TA-1. Last month, the TA-1 successfully completed its initial power-on tests, keeping everything on track with hypersonic flight testing scheduled for this year.
Roc took off on January 16th, at 8:47 a.m. PST for its third test flight. It climbed to a 23,500 feet (7,163 meters) altitude and reached a speed of 207 mph (333 kph). The massive airplane flew over the Mojave Desert for four hours and 23 minutes, managing to stay in the air more than ever.
The company verified the aircraft's performance at higher speeds and altitudes during the latest flight. The main focus was on the left mid-main gear operations.
"Testing the left main landing gear individually mitigated risk and provided our aircrew with options for landing the aircraft in the event the hardware didn't perform as expected," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch President and Chief Operating Officer.
The data obtained during the flight will be collected and used to further advance Roc's capabilities in order to support hypersonic testing. Ultimately, the aircraft will be able to carry and launch Stratolaunch's future Talon-A rocket-powered testbeds.
Talon-A vehicles can take off and land autonomously on conventional runways and can be loaded with customizable payloads. When launched from the Roc, they are able to achieve a flight speed that exceeds Mach 5.
The company says that it has already made great progress in developing its first two Talon-A test vehicles, the TA-0, and the TA-1. Last month, the TA-1 successfully completed its initial power-on tests, keeping everything on track with hypersonic flight testing scheduled for this year.
The team is rounding out a successful Roc carrier aircraft test flight with two low approach maneuvers before landing. We’re excited to get the aircraft on the ground and start analyzing all of the great data we collected today! #LetsRoc pic.twitter.com/FcwHbv8qmo
— Stratolaunch (@Stratolaunch) January 16, 2022
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