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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest Plane WithAn Uncertain Future
"Space launch company Stratolaunch, which the late Microsoft co-founder Paul
Allen had founded nearly a decade ago, is reportedly in the process of closing down for good and will be selling off all of its physical assets and intellectual property rights. The news comes less than two months after the firm's massive Roc aircraft, the largest plane ever flown, took the sky for the first time. On May 31, 2019, Reuters reported that Vulcan, Inc., an investment firm that Allen had also established to support Stratolaunch and many other projects, had decided to shutter the space launch unit, citing multiple unnamed individuals familiar with the plans. The War Zone also heard this earlier in the week. Allen died in October 2018 after a battle with cancer. Founded in 2011, Stratolaunch hoped to offer low-cost and flexible access to space, using the Roc aircraft, named after the mythical bird of prey capable of carrying off an elephant, to air-launch expendable and reusable space launch vehicles. A cost-effective air-launched space access concept would allow customers to get payloads into space on shorter notice than with traditional rockets and launch them from the best possible location, a potential game- changing capability that you can read about more here. Scaled Composites, a part of Northrop Grumman, had actually designed and built the aircraft. The plan had been for Roc to conduct its first test launch of a Pegasus XL space launch rocket, another Northrop Grumman product, in 2020. Stratolaunch and Northrop Grumman both declined to give comments to Reuters for its story and it is unclear whether or not the test program will continue under the latter company's direction, but it seems unlikely at this point." See: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...certain-future |
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest PlaneWith An Uncertain Future
From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor...
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest Plane With An Uncertain Future
"David Spain" wrote in message ...
From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...19189632956681 -- Greg D. Moore http://greenmountainsoftware.wordpress.com/ CEO QuiCR: Quick, Crowdsourced Responses. http://www.quicr.net IT Disaster Response - https://www.amazon.com/Disaster-Resp...dp/1484221834/ |
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest PlaneWith An Uncertain Future
On 6/6/2019 2:02 PM, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote:
"David Spain"Â* wrote in message ... From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...19189632956681 Sigh. Thanks Greg. I'd laugh, but it's just way too familiar and way too sad.... Dave |
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest Plane With An Uncertain Future
In article , says...
On 6/6/2019 2:02 PM, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote: "David Spain"* wrote in message ... From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...19189632956681 Sigh. Thanks Greg. I'd laugh, but it's just way too familiar and way too sad.... Paul Allen was somehow sold on air launch (likely Rutan sold him on the idea) and he decided to build Birdzillia. Unfortunately, there was a complete lack of focus on what it was going to launch! The assumption was that a partner would be easy to find who would foot the bill for the launch vehicle development. That was, in hindsight, obviously misguided thinking. All IMHO, of course. Jeff -- All opinions posted by me on Usenet News are mine, and mine alone. These posts do not reflect the opinions of my family, friends, employer, or any organization that I am a member of. |
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest Plane With An Uncertain Future
Jeff Findley wrote on Thu, 6 Jun 2019
18:09:04 -0400: In article , says... On 6/6/2019 2:02 PM, Greg (Strider) Moore wrote: "David Spain"* wrote in message ... From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...19189632956681 Sigh. Thanks Greg. I'd laugh, but it's just way too familiar and way too sad.... Paul Allen was somehow sold on air launch (likely Rutan sold him on the idea) and he decided to build Birdzillia. Unfortunately, there was a complete lack of focus on what it was going to launch! The assumption was that a partner would be easy to find who would foot the bill for the launch vehicle development. That was, in hindsight, obviously misguided thinking. Not that misguided. First, they started out to develop their own launch vehicles so they weren't engaging in the "complete lack of focus" that you decry. Second, didn't they have a launch contract with NG (was OSC (was ATK)) to launch Pegasus XL from it? -- "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." --George Bernard Shaw |
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Stratolaunch Reportedly Shuts Down Leaving World's Largest Plane With An Uncertain Future
wrote in message ... "Space launch company Stratolaunch, which the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had founded nearly a decade ago, is reportedly in the process of closing down for good and will be selling off all of its physical assets and intellectual property rights. The news comes less than two months after the firm's massive Roc aircraft, the largest plane ever flown, took the sky for the first time. Roc a.k.a. Egolauncher. |
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