Verified facts grounded in source documentation.
Stratolaunch received approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to acquire Virgin Orbit’s modified Boeing 747 and its related parts and equipment.
Stratolaunch currently plans to launch Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL from the aircraft.
In August 2018 Stratolaunch announced development of the Medium Launch Vehicle capable of placing up to 3,400 kg into low Earth orbit with a planned first launch in 2022.
Stratolaunch performed its fastest taxi test to date at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California on 2019-01-09, reaching a top speed of 219 km per hour.
Steve Nixon is vice president for strategic development at Stratolaunch, a firm backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen that plans to launch rockets from the world’s largest aircraft.