Stratolaunch

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

Stratolaunch is an American aerospace company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to build Roc, the world's largest airplane by wingspan (385 feet). Originally designed to air-launch satellites, the company was acquired by Cerberus Capital Management in late 2019 after Allen's death and pivoted to hypersonic flight testing for the Pentagon. Its reusable, autonomous Talon-A rocket planes - dropped from Roc, accelerating past Mach 5, then landing on a runway - have completed more than ten successful hypersonic flights, serving the Pentagon's MACH-TB testbed program. In 2026 it raised several hundred million dollars (with Elliott Investment Management participating) and added a Boeing 777 as its third carrier aircraft.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2011
   Company founded

   Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded Stratolaunch to build Roc, the largest airplane by wingspan ever built, for air-launching satellites.

2. 2019
   Cerberus acquisition, pivot

   After Allen's 2018 death, Cerberus Capital Management acquired Stratolaunch in late 2019 and pivoted the company from satellite launches to hypersonic flight testing for the Pentagon.

3. 2024
   First hypersonic flight

   In December 2024 the autonomous Talon-A2 completed its first hypersonic flight and runway recovery.

4. 2025
   Reusable hypersonic flights

   In March 2025 Talon-A2 topped Mach 5 again and was recovered, confirming reusability under the Pentagon's MACH-TB program.

5. 2026
   Scale-up

   By July 2026 Stratolaunch claimed 10+ successful hypersonic flights, raised several hundred million dollars with Elliott Investment Management, and added a Boeing 777 carrier aircraft.