Stratolaunch Completes First Flight of a Reusable Hypersonic Aircraft Since 1968
In the 1960s the X-15 program proved to be an incalculably valuable asset to hypersonic flight testing that allowed for various advanced projects like the Apollo program, advanced warhead reentry vehicles, and the Space Shuttle to come to fruition. Retired in 1968 no vehicle since has broken its crewed speed record of Mach 6.7 (7,274 km/h) largely because the need for such performance has never returned. Until now.
With the revolution in hypersonic weapons taking place a need for a vehicle that could achieve such performance has returned. However, this time without the liability of a pilot. On May 5 this new capability was proven when Stratolaunch’s Talon-A2 performed its 2nd successful test flight becoming the first ever reusable autonomous hypersonic aircraft.
Powered by Ursa Major’s 5,000-lb thrust kerosene-liquid oxygen Hadley engine, the Talon-A2 was able to achieve a speed in excess of Mach 5 at an altitude above 100,000 ft. As part of the DoD’s MACH-TB program Talon-A2 is designed to support frequent flight testing of hypersonic systems, with the goal being weekly flight tests. The reusable nature of the aircraft greatly reduces cost and increases cadence compared to expendable (albeit higher performance systems) like Rocket Labs HASTE. Additionally thanks to its ability to land on a runway the Talon-A is able to recover tested equipment such as sensors and communication systems that would have been destroyed at the end of a test flight if flown on an expendable system.
Stratolaunch hopes to scale to monthly Talon-A launches by the end of 2025 and, thanks to a $24.7 million contract with the Missile Defense Agency, signed in January, it will be capable of launching outside the US. Currently the vehicle is launched from Stratolaunch’s Roc aircraft which possesses the world’s longest wingspan and requires special facilities to operate. To achieve a more flexible option Stratolaunch acquired a 747, previously used by Virgin Orbit before they went defunct, and plans to modify it under the MDA contract to accommodate the Talon-A for missions from “global locations”. Known as Spirit of Mojave the aircraft will be able to operate from any airport that can handle a normal 747, opening up a wide variety of test sites.