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

From Spruce Goose to Composite Condor...

"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/

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

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.

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

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.