Roc landed Sunday at California’s Mojave Air & Space Port after a test flight that lasted nearly four and a half hours. [Courtesy: Stratolaunch]
Key Takeaways:
Stratolaunch's Roc, the world's largest airplane, successfully completed its third test flight, setting new records for flight duration, altitude, and speed, and executing the first in-flight retraction of its landing gear.
The flight demonstrated significant improvements to the carrier aircraft's systems and overall performance, advancing its readiness for operational use.
Roc's primary mission has shifted to air-launching reusable hypersonic test vehicles, such as Stratolaunch's Talon-A, for government and commercial research, with commercial operations expected to begin later this year.
Stratolaunch’s Roc—the biggest airplane in the world—returned to the sky Sunday, completing its first test flight in more than eight months.
The four-hour and 23-minutemission expanded Roc’s proven test envelope, including a higher altitude, as well as retracting and extending one of Roc’s main landing gear in flight for the first time.
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Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.
