Stratolaunch Systems

Just announced today, Paul Allen's Stratolaunch Systems will air launch cargo and crew into orbit on a SpaceX built rocket, lifted to altitude by a huge carrier plane built by Scaled Composites.

http://stratolaunchsystems.com/

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Paul-Al ... 19673.html

Just reading it
EPIC

Just got the news via facebook as well
Watched the video and read http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n1112/13stratolaunch/

"epic" was also my first thought, but the longer I'm thinking this through the more doubts I get about it.

*) Their plan calls for 2016 test flights (of the plane alone?). NO big aerospace project is ever on schedule, not even Scaled's afaik. Even if the carrier plane is similar to WK2, I guess the schedule could easily slip to at least 2018. They haven't even built the hangar yet.

*) The core of SpaceX's competitive pricing is their lean, almost exclusive in house development, production and operation. Stratolaunch looks like taking a lean SpaceX rocket and wrapping it in a ginormous amount of overhead. Air-launch might make sense from an operational standpoint and because of flexibility, but I have to wonder how that could outweigh the overhead in this case?

*) What is Mike Griffin doing in that kind of "aerospace dream team"? Don't tell me he has finally given up on Ares/SLS nonsense!?

*) etc.

Maybe I'm missing the point, but from all the current projects this is the one I am the most skeptic about. (doesn't sound like a proper English sentence, where did I go wrong?)

Speaking of air launch systems why did Air Launch, cease operations?

http://www.airlaunchllc.com/

- It is fine mate!

Still excited to see what happens here

Thank you Rob. I just had the feeling that the structure of the sentence was somehow off.


More strange things surrounding that press conference:
http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/12/13/ ... a-palooza/

"Birdzilla" I like that

The real advantage is being able to launch at any time (no weather issues - you fly above it), and to fly to the launch point (over the ocean) which means easier certification and any orbit trajectories. it's also, effectively, a completely reusable first stage.

'Sceptical' I think is the word.

maybe the "real" reason behind all this is not a technical one at all?

www.parabolicarc.com/2011/12/14/surpris ... space-race

This will have quite an impact on the government vs. private space debate.

Whatever the true motivation is, this should help to advance the idea of commercial space BIG time! (pun intended )

They were working under a DARPA contract that ended. They had no customers.