Stratolaunch Systems

Stratolaunch LLC
Company type	Privately held company
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	2011
Founder	Paul Allen, Burt Rutan
Headquarters	Mojave, California, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Zachary Krevor (President and CEO), Jean Floyd (former CEO)
Products	Air-launch carrier aircraft (Roc), hypersonic test vehicles (Talon-A)
Owner	Cerberus Capital Management
Number of employees	360+ (2020)

Stratolaunch LLC is a privately held aerospace firm based in the United States, specializing in advanced high-speed flight test operations. Established in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen alongside Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, the company set out to create a pioneering air-launched space transport system. Its main offices are situated at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California. Following Allen’s passing in 2018, Stratolaunch was acquired in 2019 by Cerberus Capital Management and continues to operate as a privately financed organization functioning as a non-traditional defense contractor.

Originally, the initiative consisted of three primary elements: the carrier airplane known as "Roc," constructed by Scaled Composites; a multi-stage payload launch vehicle designed for deployment at high altitudes; and a mating and integration mechanism developed by Dynetics. By the end of 2018, only the carrier aircraft had reached full development.

The carrier aircraft achieved its inaugural flight in April 2019 at Mojave Air and Space Port, attaining an altitude of 15,000 feet and speeds up to 305 km/h during a flight lasting two hours and twenty-nine minutes. This aircraft remains among the largest worldwide by wingspan, highlighting Stratolaunch’s distinctive edge in aerospace innovation.

With Jean Floyd assuming the role of CEO in 2019, Stratolaunch increased its employee count from 13 to 87 by early 2020, reflecting renewed momentum in business growth. Since March 2022, Dr. Zachary Krevor has held the positions of President and CEO, bringing substantial engineering leadership experience from his prior role as Vice President of Engineering at Stratolaunch Systems Corporation.

Stratolaunch’s strategic approach centers on utilizing its exclusive air-launch platform to offer adaptable space access solutions aimed at both commercial and defense sectors, positioning the company for significant expansion within the aerospace industry.

History

The initiative commenced in 2010, with initial development expenses estimated at US$300 million by 2011. Early that year, Dynetics began work with approximately 40 employees, managing complete systems engineering, integration, and testing efforts. SpaceX contributed to designing rocket-powered components (Falcon 9 Air) but withdrew from the partnership by 2012 due to divergent goals.

By October 2012, Stratolaunch completed its first 88,000 sq ft composites manufacturing facility and followed with a 92,640 sq ft assembly hangar for the carrier aircraft by February 2013 at Mojave Air and Space Port. The first test flight for the carrier plane was initially scheduled for 2015 but was postponed to 2018 or later; air-launched rocket flights were anticipated beginning in 2019.

In 2014, Stratolaunch evaluated various launch vehicle alternatives and decelerated orbital launch vehicle development to concentrate on perfecting the carrier aircraft. The company became part of Paul Allen's Vulcan Aerospace—a division of Vulcan Inc.—dedicated to lowering space travel costs and improving access. Later that year, CEO Gary Wentz departed for United Launch Alliance; Stratolaunch also terminated its contract with Orbital ATK and planned to decide on a new rocket provider by late 2015.

Fast Company recognized Stratolaunch as one of the world’s most innovative companies in 2017 due to its air-launch system’s unprecedented scale and weather resilience. That same year, the company officially adopted the name Stratolaunch Systems Corporation. In May 2017, the Stratolaunch aircraft was unveiled for fueling trials and completed its initial taxi test at Mojave in December.

On April 13, 2019, the Stratolaunch aircraft conducted its maiden flight lasting two and a half hours, reaching an altitude of 4,570 meters with a peak speed of 278 km/h.

After founder Paul Allen’s death in October 2018, Stratolaunch ceased developing its own launch vehicles in January 2019 amid financial constraints. Jean Floyd continued as CEO as of April 2019. Despite rumors in May 2019 about potential shutdowns and asset liquidation, the company maintained operations and expanded its workforce rapidly—from just 13 employees in October 2019 to over 360 employees and contractors by mid-2020—demonstrating sustained growth and commitment to its aerospace initiatives.

Roc

The Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch, commonly known as Roc, holds the title of the largest operational airplane worldwide. Developed by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems, its primary mission was to transport air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets. After a change in ownership, its role shifted towards conducting air launch hypersonic flight experiments. Originally unveiled in December 2011 and publicly revealed in May 2017, Roc took to the skies for its maiden flight on April 13, 2019, shortly after the passing of its founder, Paul Allen.

Distinguished by its twin-fuselage configuration and boasting the longest wingspan ever flown—385 feet (117 m)—it exceeds the wingspan of the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose," which measured 321 feet (98 m). The twin fuselages combined with a high-wing layout facilitate the attachment and deployment of multiple launch vehicles from the central section. It can carry payloads up to 550,000 pounds (250 t) and has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,300,000 pounds (590 t).

Its propulsion comes from six Pratt & Whitney PW4000 jet engines, each providing between 46,000 and 66,500 pounds-force of thrust. These engines were sourced from two retired 747-400 aircraft. To minimize development expenses, the design incorporated established components such as avionics and landing gear systems. On air launch missions, it achieves an operational range of approximately .

The initial successful test flight lasted 2.5 hours, during which the aircraft reached speeds of and climbed to altitudes up to .

In April 2022, a versatile center-wing pylon was installed to support and release Talon-A hypersonic vehicles. This pylon measures 14 feet in width, 19 feet in length, and stands 10 feet tall. Weighing 8,000 pounds when empty, it is constructed using a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber skins. The assembly includes roughly 10,000 bolts along with around 40,000 additional hardware pieces. Although extensive design and integration efforts spanned several months, the actual installation process took only four hours. Vehicle release is managed through explosive bolts activated by the pilot at the moment of deployment.

As of June 12, 2024, the Stratolaunch carrier has completed twenty flights and remains active in transporting Talon hypersonic craft. On March 9, 2024, it achieved a milestone by successfully releasing a powered supersonic test vehicle for the first time.

Spirit of Mojave

In May 2023, Stratolaunch expanded its air-launch capabilities by acquiring Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 along with associated equipment. This newly added aircraft was christened The Spirit of Mojave as a tribute to both the legendary Spirit of St. Louis and the Mojave Air and Space Port community.

Originally operating as a Virgin Atlantic passenger jet, this Boeing 747 was bought by Virgin Orbit in 2015 to serve as the launch platform for its LauncherOne orbital rocket. Following Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy filing in April 2023, Stratolaunch took ownership of the plane on May 25, 2023. Since then, it has completed six flights accumulating a total of 17.9 flight hours under Stratolaunch’s operation and is projected to be fully operational by mid-2024.

Talon-A

Stratolaunch is advancing the development of Talon-A, a hypersonic vehicle powered by rockets and engineered for repeated use. It is designed to operate at speeds ranging from Mach 5 to Mach 7 (approximately 6,100 to 8,600 km/h). The vehicle measures 28 feet (8.5 meters) in length with a wingspan of 11.3 feet (3.4 meters) and has a launch weight near 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms). Talon-A is capable of landing on conventional runways.

By May 2021, the structural assembly of test models TA-0 and TA-1 was finalized. In 2023, TA-0 underwent separation testing, successfully demonstrating safe detachment and controlled descent capabilities. December 2023 marked TA-1’s initial captive carry flight with active propellant, followed by its inaugural powered flight featuring a controlled ocean recovery in March 2024.

Upcoming versions of Talon-A are intended to function as hypersonic experimental platforms capable of carrying adaptable payloads at speeds exceeding Mach 5. Their reusability aims to lower expenses for accessing sub-thermospheric altitudes. Production is ongoing for two further units, TA-2 and TA-3.

On May 5, 2025, Stratolaunch announced that TA-2 had completed its second hypersonic flight and successful recovery in March 2025. This followed its first Mach 5-plus flight conducted in December 2024, establishing TA-2 as the inaugural fully reusable hypersonic test vehicle.

Future vehicles

The company’s website highlights additional designs such as Talon+ and a spaceplane concept.

Facilities

In 2011, Stratolaunch Systems secured a two-decade lease covering 20 acres at the Mojave Air and Space Port located in Mojave, California. This site serves as the company’s headquarters along with its engineering, manufacturing, and operational centers.

By 2015, Stratolaunch had constructed a fabrication hangar spanning 92,400 square feet and an assembly hangar covering 107,275 square feet adjacent to Scaled Composites. The fabrication facility, dedicated to producing composite wing and fuselage components, opened on schedule in October 2012 within budget constraints. The larger assembly hangar designed for the Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft was completed in February 2013.

On May 31, 2017, the Stratolaunch carrier aircraft was transferred from the Mojave hangar to commence ground testing procedures.

External links

Original Video – Stratolaunch featuring SpaceX Falcon 9 Air launch vehicle, December 2011
Revised Video – Stratolaunch with Orbital Pegasus II launch vehicle, June 2013
Press Conference Video – Stratolaunch Systems, December 2011
Thinking big in space, The Economist, December 27, 2011
Stratolaunch and the X-15
Stratolaunch First Flight and Landing, April 2019