Stratolaunch’s carrier plane has rolled out for the first time:
The Stratolaunch carrier plane is designed to launch rockets into orbit from an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100 meters). Initially, the plane will carry a single Pegasus XL rocket built by Orbital ATK, but the craft will eventually be able to carry up to three of those boosters simultaneously, Floyd said.
Stratolaunch Systems has been quietly designing and building the rocket-toting plane over the last few years.
“Over the past few weeks, we have removed the fabrication infrastructure, including the three-story scaffolding surrounding the aircraft, and rested the aircraft’s full weight on its 28 wheels for the first time,” Floyd said. “This was a crucial step in preparing the aircraft for ground testing, engine runs, taxi tests and, ultimately, first flight.”
There’s a lot of delta-v to be saved by getting out of the dense soup of the lower atmosphere before you switch to rocket propulsion, though at the expense of operational complexity. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out for Stratolaunch, though as I understand it they’re having trouble finding a partner to handle development of the rocket half of the vehicle.
re: “As I understand it they’re [Stratolaunch] having trouble finding a partner to handle development of the rocket half of the vehicle.” SA
Stratolaunch is actually having a problem lining up missions to carry. It is a chicken & egg type of problem: to get missions they have to provide proof of capability; to provide proof of capability they need missions. Orbital could build the Pegasus II if Stratolaunch could secure a mission to use it.
That design looks familiar – I’m fairly sure that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson designed something just like it for heavy lift space launches in Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet…