Jane Edwards
Stratolaunch is working on a reusable hypersonic vehicle designed to fly at speeds of up to Mach 7 to support hypersonic experiments, research and operational missions, SpaceNews reported Monday.
Talon-A is an 8.5-meter-long hypersonic vehicle with a liquid-propellant rocket engine and a 3.4-meter wing span that can launch from the company’s carrier aircraft.
“Our hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for our government, the commercial sector and academia,†Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd said in a statement on the firm’s website.
Stratolauch expects Talon-A to reach initial operating capability in 2022 and support multiple missions on a single flight by 2023. “This unique capability enables multiple hypersonic flight opportunities on a single day or the near-simultaneous launch of three Talon vehicles, which may support specific operational scenarios,†the company said.
