Stratolaunch Achieves Reusable Hypersonic Flight Under MACH-TB Program
May 19, 2025
Stratolaunch recently announced the successful completion of its second hypersonic flight and recovery of the Talon-A2 vehicle in March 2025. This follows their initial successful hypersonic flight in December 2024, confirming the vehicle’s reusability. During this second flight, the Talon-A2 exceeded Mach 5 for the second time, surpassing the speed of the December flight.
Watch the launch of the Talon-A2, a major milestone in Stratolaunch’s hypersonic testing for the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) initiative.
Key Flight Achievements
Highlights from the flight include:
- Demonstrated Reusability: The Talon-A2 has proven its ability to be reused for multiple hypersonic flights.
- Hypersonic Speed: The vehicle exceeded Mach 5 during its trajectory.
- Successful Landing and Recovery: The flight included a full runway landing with prompt payload recovery.
Stratolaunch’s Talon-A2 first autonomous landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base. (PRNewsfoto/Stratolaunch)
The MACH-TB Program
Stratolaunch is working with the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC) Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) program under a partnership with Leidos.
MACH-TB, initiated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division, and the Department of Defense, and awarded under the The Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) OTA, aims to design and test an experimental glide body to bolster various Department of Defense (DoD) initiatives related to hypersonic technology.
On June 17, 2023, the MACH-TB program achieved a critical step in advancing U.S. hypersonic technology with the successful first launch of its suborbital testbed vehicle from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia.
Fast forward to the present, the MACH-TB program continues to make significant strides in hypersonic testing with Stratolaunch.
Stratolaunch’s Roc air launch platform take off from Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field carrying the Talon-A2 testbed. (PRNewsfoto/Stratolaunch)
According to Scott Wilson, Program Manager of MACH-TB, the data collected from the initial Talon-A flight has been analyzed with extremely positive results.
Stratolaunch’s Talon-A2 release and engine ignition for its first hypersonic flight. (PRNewsfoto/Stratolaunch)
In conclusion, Stratolaunch’s successful second hypersonic flight and recovery of the Talon-A2 vehicle marks a significant advancement in reusable hypersonic technology under the MACH-TB program.
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