The plane brought closer to reality the dream of launching satellites from the air.
The plane took off at 6:58 a.m. and flew for 2½ hours, reaching a top speed of 189 miles per hour and a maximum altitude of 17,000 feet, Stratolaunch Systems Corp. said., that led to speculation about the company’s future.
Allen, a Microsoft Corp. co-founder, was not the only one pursuing this approach to commercial spaceflight.Virgin Orbit flew its modified Boeing 747 Stratolaunch described that retrenchment, which reportedly included dozens of layoffs, as “streamlining operations.” It said that would enable it to focus on conducting a first test flight of its massive satellite-launching plane — a goal it achieved Saturday — and on conducting a test launch of a Pegasus XL rocket from the plane.
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