Stratolaunch has announced a contract with the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support the flight test of the company’s first expendable Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle, TA-1.

Launched from the Roc aircraft, Talon-A is a rocket-powered, autonomous testbed with the ability to fly a variety of hypersonic flight profiles while carrying customized payload experiments on board.

Stratolaunch anticipates flying TA-1 in the first quarter of 2023.

Reusable hypersonic flight

The first Talon-A vehicle is an expendable configuration. The next generation of Talon-A vehicles will be capable of reusable hypersonic flight.

“We’re pleased that AFRL has chosen to support the flight of our first hypersonic vehicle, and we have enjoyed working with the esteemed team,” said Zachary Krevor, CEO for Stratolaunch.

“We look forward to providing flight test services to AFRL and other customers in the near future.”
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