{"id":41277,"date":"2026-05-21T17:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/?p=41277"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:11:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T16:11:59","slug":"stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\/","title":{"rendered":"Stratolaunch ramps hypersonic testing with ex-Virgin Orbit Boeing 747"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/stratolaunch\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2085\">Stratolaunch<\/a><\/span><\/strong> has confirmed a new hypersonic test mission conducted for the <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/us-missile-defense-agency\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8575\">US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. The mission used the former <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/virgin-orbit\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"635\">Virgin Orbit<\/a><\/span><\/strong> Boeing 747 as a launch platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/Boeing 747\">Boeing 747<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, now named Spirit of Mojave, air-launched the <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/tag\/talon-a\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3538\">Talon-A3 <\/a><\/span><\/strong>hypersonic vehicle under MDA&#8217;s Flight Test Experiment Other-04 (FEX-04).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Undertaken on 6 March, Stratolaunch only disclosed details of the mission on 21 May. Despite the delayed announcement, it provides another indication that the company is transitioning from experimental demonstrations toward sustained reusable hypersonic flight operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-6-xl-font-size\">Stratolaunch accelerates hypersonic tests with Boeing 747 and Roc<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Spirit of Mojave operates alongside Stratolaunch&#8217;s <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-reaches-new-heights-with-seventh-roc-flight-test\/?modal=yes\">enormous twin-fuselage Roc aircraft<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, as part of the company&#8217;s growing fleet of reusable hypersonic test infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reporting from <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationweek.com\/aerospace\/emerging-technologies\/stratolaunch-ramps-back-back-tests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aviation Week<\/a><\/span><\/strong> suggests Stratolaunch has already conducted multiple reusable Talon missions, including back-to-back launches from both of the two platforms within 14 days of each other in February this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The increased cadence aligns with <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-capital-raise-investment-hypersonic-testing\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"35247\">Stratolaunch\u2019s January announcement <\/a><\/span><\/strong>that new investment would be used to expand vehicle production, add carrier aircraft and accelerate reusable hypersonic testing operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch_Spirit_of_Mojave_and_Talon_A3_Vehicle-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Stratolaunch Spirit of Mojave and Talon-A3 Vehicle\" class=\"wp-image-41282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch_Spirit_of_Mojave_and_Talon_A3_Vehicle-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch_Spirit_of_Mojave_and_Talon_A3_Vehicle-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch_Spirit_of_Mojave_and_Talon_A3_Vehicle-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Stratolaunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHypersonic testing requires precision, speed and reliable access to flight,\u201d said Stratolaunch President and CEO Dr Zachary Krevor. \u201cEach mission expands the nation\u2019s ability to test and advance critical technologies, and we are proud to support our government partners as they accelerate innovation in high-speed flight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-debuts-talon-a-separation-test-vehicle\/\">Talon-A series is designed as a reusable hypersonic test vehicle<\/a><\/span><\/strong> capable of carrying payloads and sensors at speeds above Mach 5. Rather than serving as a weapon itself, the platform is intended to support the testing of materials, communications systems, sensors and missile defence technologies in extreme high-speed flight environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-on-the-wing-of-a-Stratolaunch-aircraft-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-on-the-wing-of-a-Stratolaunch-aircraft-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-on-the-wing-of-a-Stratolaunch-aircraft-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-on-the-wing-of-a-Stratolaunch-aircraft-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Stratolaunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Stratolaunch did not disclose the speed, duration or recovery details of the latest Talon-A3 mission, previous Talon flights have reportedly exceeded Mach 5 and successfully recovered the reusable vehicle following flight.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"flex flex-wrap items-center justify-start -mx-2 mt-6\">\n                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/ramjets-scramjets-race-to-hypersonic-speeds\/\"  class=\"btn-ocean  mx-2 my-2  flex items-center flex-row \">\n                                        <span class=\"sr-only\">Also read: Ramjets, scramjets, and the race to hypersonic speeds<\/span>\n                    <span>Also read: Ramjets, scramjets, and the race to hypersonic speeds<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-6-xl-font-size\">Ex-Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 takes on a new role for Stratolaunch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Boeing 747 used in this test has a colourful history. Initially delivered to Virgin Atlantic in 2001 as G-VWOW, it started life carrying passengers, but wound up carrying far more interesting things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, it took on registration N744VG when ownership transferred to Virgin Galactic (although it retained its rather apt name of Cosmic Girl). The company attempted to make a success of air-launched space services, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"571\" src=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Virgin-Orbit-Boeing-747-with-LauncherOne-1024x571.jpeg\" alt=\"Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 with LauncherOne\" class=\"wp-image-41284\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Virgin-Orbit-Boeing-747-with-LauncherOne-1024x571.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Virgin-Orbit-Boeing-747-with-LauncherOne-300x167.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Virgin-Orbit-Boeing-747-with-LauncherOne-768x429.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Virgin-Orbit-Boeing-747-with-LauncherOne.jpeg 1199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Virgin Orbit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The 747 carried LauncherOne, an air-launched rocket capable of delivering smallsats into orbit, under its wing. The idea was to make a cheaper, more sustainable launch system by lofting the rocket into thinner, less resistant air, eliminating the most fuel-intensive part of launches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cosmic Girl undertook six flights in all. Four were successful, while two failed. After <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/virgin-orbits-747-lifts-off-from-cornwall-with-launcher-one-rocket\/\">the final failure in January 2023<\/a><\/span><\/strong> and with no further financing, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/virgin-orbit-stops-operations-to-seek-funds\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">company laid off all staff and suspended operations.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-with-Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-carried-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Stratolaunch Boeing 747 with Talon-A hypersonic vehicle carried\" class=\"wp-image-41283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-with-Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-carried-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-with-Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-carried-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-with-Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-carried-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-with-Talon-A-hypersonic-vehicle-carried.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: Stratolaunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Boeing 747 was <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-expands-fleet-with-virgin-orbits-modified-boeing-747\/\">transferred to Stratolaunch in April 2024<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. Now, with tail number N949SL and renamed Spirit of Mojave, she continues to provide launch capabilities, but this time for hypersonic vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n        <div class=\"flex flex-wrap items-center justify-start -mx-2 mt-6\">\n                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/aerospace-technology-news\/\"  class=\"btn-stealth  mx-2 my-2  flex items-center flex-row \">\n                                        <span class=\"sr-only\">Love innovation and technology in aerospace? Discover more of our stories here.<\/span>\n                    <span>Love innovation and technology in aerospace? Discover more of our stories here.<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n                        <\/div>\n        \n\n\n<p><em>Featured image: Stratolaunch<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stratolaunch has disclosed a new hypersonic test mission for the US Missile Defence Agency using its ex-Virgin Orbit Boeing 747, as the company rapidly expands reusable Mach 5 flight operations with the Talon-A platform.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":41281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,84,85,65,14,6],"tags":[2489,188,3537,2085,3538,8575,635],"class_list":["post-41277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-transport","category-defence","category-engines-propulsion","category-innovation-technology","category-most-read","category-trending-articles","tag-boeing-747","tag-hypersonic","tag-roc","tag-stratolaunch","tag-talon-a","tag-us-missile-defense-agency","tag-virgin-orbit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Stratolaunch ramps hypersonic testing with ex-Virgin Boeing 747<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stratolaunch used its former Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 to launch a reusable Talon-A3 hypersonic test vehicle during a MDA mission.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stratolaunch ramps hypersonic testing with ex-Virgin Boeing 747\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stratolaunch used its former Virgin Orbit Boeing 747 to launch a reusable Talon-A3 hypersonic test vehicle during a MDA mission.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/news\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AGN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T16:11:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T16:11:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-Spirit-of-Mojave.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1334\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joanna Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joanna Bailey\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/news\\\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/news\\\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joanna Bailey\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d520abeb2e9eafc75ecb7aa1abe032b4\"},\"headline\":\"Stratolaunch ramps hypersonic testing with ex-Virgin Orbit Boeing 747\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T16:11:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-21T16:11:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/news\\\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":503,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/news\\\/stratolaunch-hypersonic-testing-boeing-747\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/Stratolaunch-Boeing-747-Spirit-of-Mojave.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Boeing 747\",\"Hypersonic\",\"Roc\",\"Stratolaunch\",\"Talon-A\",\"US Missile Defense Agency\",\"Virgin Orbit\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Air Transport\",\"Defence\",\"Engines\\\/propulsion\",\"Innovation &amp; 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