First powered flight of new hypersonic vehicle in California a success

MOJAVE, California: On March 9, US aerospace company Stratolaunch conducted the first powered test flight of a new unmanned craft for hypersonic research, which it said was a success.

Hypersonic flights travel at speeds of at least Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

The Talon-A-1 vehicle "reached high supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5 and collected a great amount of data at an incredible value to our customers," Stratolaunch Chief Executive Officer Zachary Krevor said in a statement.

However, because of proprietary agreements with customers, he could not disclose the specific altitude and speed, he added.

The company’s six-engine carrier aircraft known as Roc, with a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters) and twin fuselages, carried the Talon, which was attached to the center of its wing and released off the central coast of California.

The Talon, powered by a liquid-fuel rocket engine, descended into the ocean at the end of its trial flight. While the current version is expendable, a future version can land on a runway.

The main objectives for the flight included a safe air-launch release of the vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained climb in altitude, and a controlled water landing, Stratolaunch said, adding that the result was a major milestone in the development of the first privately funded, reusable hypersonic test capability in the US.

In December and February, Stratolaunch conducted two captive-carry flights, in which the Talon carried live propellant but was not released from the mothership.

Stratolaunch, which is based at Mojave Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles, announced flight contracts as a subcontractor to technology company Leidos of Reston, Virginia, with the US Air Force Research Laboratory and the Navy’s Multiservice Advanced Capability Test Bed program.