Stratolaunch

Stratolaunch Systems and Orbtial ATK Team Up (Again)

Stratolaunch Systems and Orbtial ATK Team Up (Again)

The wild, but underwhelming ride that has been Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s effort to revolutionize the launch industry with the Stratolaunch aircraft has taken another turn. Yesterday, Stratolaunch Systems announced an agreement with Orbital ATK to use the massive carrier aircraft to loft Pegasus XL rockets for air launch, a move which would supplant the […]

Stratolaunching to Nowhere : Update

Stratolaunching to Nowhere : Update

  To loosely paraphrase Khan Noonien Sing (the real one) Stratolaunch may no as wounded as the Wall Street Journal led us to believe. Here is a statement sent to Spacenews from Vulcan Aerospace made in response to yesterday’s story : Vulcan Aerospace remains steadfast in its mission to transform space transportation to low-Earth orbit […]

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First Images of Stratolaunch “Roc” Taking Shape

First Images of Stratolaunch “Roc” Taking Shape

Image credit KGET 17. Notice workers circled in red for scale. A series of still images from an upcoming tv news story about Stratolaunch Systems has been released, providing a rare glimpse into the project. The original Aviation Week article, with more images, is here. Background and Analysis One of the least visible launch development […]

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Stratolaunch Teams With SNC for a Dream Chaser Mini-Me

Stratolaunch Teams With SNC for a Dream Chaser Mini-Me

A press release from Sierra Nevada Corporation issued in advance of a presentation at the International Astronautical Congress suggests a somewhat diminished version of its Dream Chaser space plane may have a future irrespective of what happens with the protest the company has lodged regarding NASA’s Commercial Crew CCtCap award. SNC Press Release: SPARKS, Nev. […]

Orbital Sciences Suggests a New Antares for Stratolaunch

Orbital Sciences Suggests a New Antares for Stratolaunch

Stratolaunch has been pretty quiet as of late, but an Orbital Sciences conference call reported in Space News sheds some new light on the booster the behemoth twin fuselage aircraft may be lofting. Originally reported as likely to be a solid cored booster comprised of components provided by ATK,  based on comments by CEO David […]

Stratolaunch Gets a New Executive Director

Stratolaunch Gets a New Executive Director

Although NewSpace companies are already revolutionizing some market segments such as the the smallsat industry, progress in other areas, notably launch systems, has been much slower, with the clear exception of SpaceX. Two companies which harbor long term crew capable orbital ambitions, Virgin Galactic and XCOR, are on the threshold of beginning suborbital passenger flights, […]

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Stratolaunch and OSC

Stratolaunch and OSC

Stratolaunch announced yesterday that following a 9 month courtship, it is entering into a development arrangement with Orbital Sciences Corporation to secure the booster for the behemoth, twin boomed aircraft currently being built by Scaled Composites at Mojave. NBC News Science Editor Alan Boyle shed a little more light on the arrangement yesterday on his […]

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