Douglas Messier, the Managing Editor of the Parabolic Arc infosite, has filed a report that Stratolaunch has unveiled a pair of hypersonic test bed vehicles and a reusable spacecraft the company plans to launch from its giant dual fuselage airplane.
According to the Stratolaunch website, “Talon-A is a fully reusable, autonomous, liquid rocket-powered Mach 6-class hypersonic vehicle with a length of 28 feet (8.5 m), wingspan of 11.3 feet (3.4 m), and a launch weight of approximately 6,000 pounds (2,722 Kg)."
The company website adds, that the Talon-A will conduct more than 1 minute of hypersonic flight testing, and glide back for an autonomous, horizontal landing on a conventional runway. The vehicle will also be capable of autonomous take-off, under its own power, via a conventional runway.
CEO Jean Floyd noted that the company's hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for the government, the commercial sector as well as academia.
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