The mission, designated Flight Test Experiment Other-04, or FEX-04, was carried out from Mojave Air and Space Port. Stratolaunch used Spirit of Mojave, a modified Boeing 747-400, to carry Talon-A3 to planned release conditions at higher altitude.
The flight profile allowed the Talon-A3 vehicle to begin testing from those release conditions. Stratolaunch said the mission continues its flight operations with the Missile Defense Agency.
“Hypersonic testing requires precision, speed and reliable access to flight,” said Stratolaunch President and CEO Dr. Zachary Krevor.
“Each mission expands the nation’s ability to test and advance critical technologies, and we are proud to support our government partners as they accelerate innovation in high-speed flight,” Krevor added.
Stratolaunch said its fleet includes the world’s largest and fastest aircraft. The Spirit of Mojave is designed for air-launch missions and high-speed flight research.
The modified Boeing 747-400 enables flexible global flight operations and rapid mission turnaround from conventional runways. Stratolaunch said these capabilities support repeatable access to flight test environments.
The Talon-A aircraft family serves as reusable hypersonic test platforms. The vehicles are designed to collect data in high-speed flight environments for government and industry hypersonic technology development.
