Friday, May 26, 2023

Stratolaunch Shows Off New 747 Renderings

Mojave, California-based hypersonic testing and aerospace technology developer Stratolaunch showed off renderings of the paint scheme for its new (well... used) 747, which it just acquired from now-defunct Virgin Orbit. According to Stratolaunch, it intends to use the modified Boeing 747 for its air-launch fleet. The company's bankruptcy acquisition bid is expected to be complete by July 31st. Stratolaunch--which originally was aiming at the space launch market--is now focused on hypersonic flight testing. The acquisition was quite a deal for Stratolaunch, as new 747s cost around $418.4M, and a used 747 costs around $187.65M, according to SimpleFlying. Stratolaunch paid a mere $17M for the modified Boeing 747, the Cosmic Girl.