Mother ship aircraft designed to launch spacecraft
Stratolaunch
Roc carrying the Talon-A hypersonic testbed
Role
Mother ship aircraft
Type of aircraft
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Scaled Composites
First flight
April 13, 2019[1]
Primary user
Stratolaunch Systems
Number built
1
Career
Other name(s)
Roc
Registration
N351SL
Flights
13
The Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch or Roc is an aircraft built by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, and subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing after a change of ownership. It was announced in December 2011, rolled out in May 2017,[1] and flew for the first time on April 13, 2019, shortly after the death of founder Paul Allen. The aircraft features a twin-fuselage design and the longest wingspan ever flown, at 385 feet (117 m), surpassing the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" flying boat of 321 feet (98 m). The Stratolaunch is intended to carry a 550,000-pound (250 t) payload and has a 1,300,000-pound (590 t) maximum takeoff weight.
The company ceased operations in May 2019, shortly after the first flight,[2] and placed all company assets, including the aircraft, for sale by June 2019.[3] In October 2019, Cerberus Capital Management acquired Stratolaunch Systems, including the Stratolaunch aircraft.[4] Stratolaunch announced in December 2019 that it would now be focusing on offering high-speed flight test services.[5] As of February 2024[update], the Stratolaunch has flown thirteen times.[6]
^ ab"Stratolaunch airborne in first flight of world's largest aircraft". Flightglobal. April 13, 2019. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
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^Stratolaunch. "Stratolaunch Completes 2nd Captive Carry Flight with TA-1 Test Vehicle". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
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