Stratolaunch, LLC is pleased to announce a contract with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support the flight test of the company's first expendable Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle, TA-1. Stratolaunch anticipates flying TA-1 in the first quarter of 2023.

Launched from the Roc aircraft, Talon-A is a rocket-powered, autonomous testbed with the ability to fly a variety of hypersonic flight profiles while carrying customized payload experiments on board. The first Talon-A vehicle is an expendable configuration. The next generation of Talon-A vehicles will be capable of reusable hypersonic flight.

"We're pleased that AFRL has chosen to support the flight of our first hypersonic vehicle, and we have enjoyed working with the esteemed team," said Dr. Zachary Krevor, Chief Executive Officer for Stratolaunch. "We look forward to providing flight test services to AFRL and other customers in the near future."