Stratolaunch Achieves Reusable Hypersonic Milestone with Successful Talon-A2 Flight

TA-2 firing its Hadley engine to Mach 5 // Photo: Julian Guerra - Stratolaunch

Vandenberg SFB, CA – May 5, 2025

Stratolaunch has marked a major milestone in hypersonic flight today with the successful powered flight and recovery of its Talon-A2 test vehicle, becoming the first U.S. company since the X-15 program in the 1960s to repeatedly fly and recover a reusable hypersonic platform.

The flight was conducted off the coast of California, where Stratolaunch’s massive Roc carrier aircraft—boasting the world’s largest wingspan—released the TA-2 vehicle at altitude. Upon separation, TA-2 ignited its Ursa Major Hadley engine and soared to hypersonic speeds, exceeding Mach 5, before executing a controlled return and landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

This marks TA-2’s second successful hypersonic flight following its debut in late 2024, and its first full recovery and reuse. The vehicle, which operates autonomously and is designed for rapid turnaround, is a cornerstone in Stratolaunch’s vision of offering high-cadence hypersonic testing services for defense, commercial, and scientific applications.

“With TA-2, we’re witnessing the return of reusable hypersonic capability to the U.S. arsenal,” Stratolaunch CEO Zachary Krevor said in a statement. “This isn’t just a flight milestone—it’s a strategic advantage.”

The successful demonstration comes amid growing demand for hypersonic research infrastructure as the U.S. military, NASA, and commercial entities pursue technologies that can survive and operate in the extreme conditions of high-speed flight. TA-2 provides a cost-effective platform to test critical systems such as thermal protection materials, next-gen propulsion, and communication hardware under real hypersonic stress environments.

Powered by the Hadley engine—a 5,000 lbf-class liquid oxygen/kerosene engine developed by Colorado-based Ursa Major—the Talon-A platform represents a modular, scalable testbed that can be rapidly integrated with customer payloads. Future iterations are expected to include TA-3, which will expand on range, speed, and data-gathering capabilities.

Ursa Major's Hadley engine hot fire // Photo: Ursa Major

As China and Russia continue to advance their own hypersonic weapons programs, Stratolaunch’s success underscores the importance of maintaining U.S. technological leadership in this critical field. The Pentagon, through agencies like DARPA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, is expected to be a key customer as Stratolaunch scales its offerings.

For now, the successful recovery of TA-2 proves not only that reusable hypersonic vehicles are possible—but that they’re operational today.

Key Highlights:

• TA-2 reached speeds > Mach 5 and was successfully recovered

• First reusable hypersonic test vehicle flown in the U.S. since X-15 (ended 1968)

• Stratolaunch’s Roc aircraft remains the world’s largest by wingspan (385 feet)

• Hadley engine by Ursa Major powered the flight

• Reusability enables rapid, lower-cost hypersonic testing