"Stratolaunch Achieves Milestones in Hypersonic Flight and Payload Delivery"
The world's largest aircraft, Roc, successfully flew and deployed the Talon-A vehicle, a mini space shuttle, marking its first real payload flight. Although the vehicle didn't reach hypersonic velocity, it collected valuable data for future development. Stratolaunch, initially founded to launch rockets mid-air, faced financial uncertainty after the death of its founder, Paul Allen, but was revitalized under new ownership to focus on launching hypersonic vehicles. The TA-1 vehicle was powered by Ursa Major Technologies' Hadley rocket engine, marking a significant milestone for the company.