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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Hypersonic testing startup Stratolaunch has acquired a 22-year-old Boeing 747 named Spirit of Mojave.</li><li>The jumbojet previously flew as a satellite launch aircraft for Virgin Orbit, a spinoff company from Virgin Galactic.</li></ul>A Boeing 747-400 has officially left the Virgin brand after 22 years and has found a new home with hypersonic planemaker Stratolaunch — and it won't be flying passengers.On Tuesday, the California-based company announced the arrival of the "Spirit of the Mojave," a modified 747 acquired from Virgin Orbit.In an <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Stratolaunch/status/1732152094256443407">X</a> post, Stratolaunch said the jet was named by its employees "as a tribute to the passion of the Mojave aerospace community that has built and tested some of the world's most unique aircraft."The plane <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n744vg">flew</a> to the Mojave Air and Space Port from San Bernardino after modifications and a new paint job. It will start flying missions in the first half of 2024, according to Stratolaunch.<div type="image" title="Stratolaunch's Boeing 747 after landing at the Mojave Air and Space Port." height="1223" width="2000" msid="105864561" hostid="261" sizebytes="111342"></div>The Spirit of Mojave's main purpose will be as a launch platform for Stratolaunch's reusable hypersonic testbed called the TA-1 Talon-A, according to a May press release announcing the 747's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stratolaunch-expands-fleet-with-virgin-orbits-modified-boeing-747-301834904.html">purchase</a>.Once flying, the 747 will conduct missions alongside Stratolaunch's flagship plane, Roc."With Roc remaining as our mainstay aircraft, an additional 747 brings expanded capabilities and flexibility to our platform," Stratolaunch CEO and president Dr. Zachary Krevor said in May. "We will be able to increase both our flight test capacity and reach to become an even stronger partner to global customers."Designed to be a mothership with six engines, a 385-foot wingspan, and the ability to carry up to 500,000 pounds, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stratolaunch-world-biggest-plane-flies-fueled-hypersonic-vehicle-first-time-2023-12">Roc is the world's largest aircraft by wingspan</a> and the largest all-composite airplane ever built.<div type="image" title="Stratolaunch takeoff with Talon-A 1 attached." height="1260" width="1680" msid="105864562" hostid="261" sizebytes="51408"></div>Stratolaunch, which was created by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen in 2011, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-biggest-airplane-stratolaunch-roc-photos-test-flight-wingspan-2023-1">initially developed Roc as an air-launch aircraft</a> to get rockets and other space vehicles into orbit.But when <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-cofounder-paul-allen-dies-at-age-65-2018-10">Allen died in 2018</a>, the company moved towards hypersonic research and is currently developing the Talon-A aircraft to fly five times the speed of sound.The TA-1 hit a milestone in December when it flew its first flight with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stratolaunch.com/news/stratolaunch-completes-captive-carry-ta1/">Roc</a>. Talon-A carried live propellant onboard so Stratolaunch could evaluate its propulsion systems in the elevated environment.<h2>Stratolaunch's 747 gets a new name for the first time in 22 years</h2><div type="image" title="The Spirit of Mojave was named Cosmic Girl before it joined Stratolaunch." height="768" width="1024" msid="105864563" hostid="261" sizebytes="22264"></div>Starting its long life as a passenger jet with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/boeing-747-400-n744vg-stratolaunch/rq96d3">Virgin Atlantic Airways</a> in 2001, the 747 was named "Cosmic Girl" and flew for the airline for 14 years before being acquired by Virgin Orbit.<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Stratolaunch/status/1732201188878155998">Virgin Orbit was billionaire Richard Branson's failed satellite launch provider</a> and the sister company to Branson's space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic.Virgin Orbit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April but used the plane to fly its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-orbit-uk-space-launch-fail-rocket-mission-spaceport-photos-2023-1#around-2500-people-came-to-watch-the-satellite-launch-staff-media-and-the-public-had-to-stand-across-the-runway-from-the-spaceport-and-the-spacecraft-for-safety-precautions-4">LauncherOne rocket into orbit</a>.According to Virgin, the <a target="_blank" href="https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/us/en/stories/cosmic-girl-a-stepping-stone-to-space.html">747</a> would fly to 35,000 feet over the ocean before LauncherOne's engines propelled it into orbit.<div type="image" title="Virgin Orbit Boeing 747" height="1234" width="1645" msid="105864564" hostid="261" sizebytes="50630"></div>Cosmic Girl completed a few successful missions before its last launch in January 2023 failed.By May, Branson agreed to sell Cosmic Girl to Stratolaunch for $17 million after receiving no better offers, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/richard-bransons-virgin-orbit-to-liquidate-sell-off-assets-to-stratolaunch-rocket-lab/">Seattle Times</a> reported, citing court documents.

A Boeing 747 that flew for Virgin Orbit before its collapse has a new home with Stratolaunch

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The world's biggest plane recently took off from the Mojave Desert. </li><li>Videos show the Stratolaunch Roc successfully completing its first drop test. </li></ul>A video shows the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-biggest-airplane-stratolaunch-roc-photos-test-flight-wingspan-2023-1">biggest plane in the world</a> taking off and cruising into the sky — taking it one step closer to hypersonic flight. The Stratolaunch Roc <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stratolaunch-successfully-completes-separation-test-of-talon-a-vehicle-301823993.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">successfully completed its first drop test</a> — which tested the plane's ability to release an <a href="https://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/talon-a-hypersonic-vehicle/#:~:text=Talon%2DA%20is%20a%20fully,of%20aerospace%20vehicles%20and%20technologies." target="_blank" rel="noopener">autonomous launch vehicle in the ai</a>r — in Mojave Desert on Sunday, according to the company's press release. The video was posted by Stratolaunch on Twitter, showing the massive plane, which has a take-off weight of 1.3 million pounds, <a href="https://twitter.com/Stratolaunch/status/1657417345306972161" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taking off from the runway.</a> Stratolaunch's vehicle Talon-A could be seen attached to the plane.The Roc is a mothership aircraft and is designed to carry rockets and vehicles. The aircraft has a wingspan of around 385 feet — <a href="https://sg.yahoo.com/finance/news/see-world-biggest-aircraft-dwarfs-155428012.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dwarfing even the largest of commercial aircrafts</a> like the Airbus A380, whose wingspan measures some 260 feet.In another video posted by Stratolaunch on Twitter, the Roc was shown landing flawlessly on the runway. The Talon-A vehicle was also <a href="https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-roc-hypersonic-vehicle-first-drop-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">no longer attached to the plane. </a>Stratolaunch expects the Roc to take its first hypersonic to take place in late fall this year, Stratolaunch's CEO Zachary Krevor said, <a href="https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-roc-hypersonic-vehicle-first-drop-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as quoted by Space.com.</a>"Our hardware and data collection systems performed as anticipated, and we now stand at the precipice of achieving hypersonic flight," Krevor said in <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stratolaunch-successfully-completes-separation-test-of-talon-a-vehicle-301823993.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stratolaunch's press release.</a> "Today's test was exceptional," he added.Stratolaunch did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Watch the world's biggest plane take off into the sky, as the Stratolaunch Roc successfully completes its first drop test

<ul><li>The <keyword id="4600519" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="worlds-largest-plane">world's largest plane</keyword> and the brainchild of <keyword id="72398" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paul-Allen">Paul Allen</keyword>, the Stratolaunch, successfully completed its first test flight on Saturday.</li><li>Jean Floyd, the CEO of <keyword id="865865" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stratolaunch-Systems">Stratolaunch Systems</keyword>, thanked the <keyword id="625986" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft-co-founder">Microsoft co-founder</keyword> for making this project a reality. </li><li>The Stratolaunch has the potential to greatly reduce the cost of launching satellites into low earth orbit.</li></ul>As the world's largest plane, with a wingspan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Inside-the-worlds-largest-plane-which-has-a-wingspan-longer-than-a-football-field-and-will-debut-in-2019/The-Stratolaunchs-first-flight-is-scheduled-for-2019-/slideshow/63102749.cms">longer</a> than a football field, took off for the very first time in <keyword id="617720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mojave-Desert">Mojave Desert</keyword>, California — the CEO of Stratolaunch Systems, Jean Floyd, whispered a quite "thank you" to Paul Allen, Microsoft's co-founder who passed away in October last year at the age of 65 years. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="I had imagined this moment for years, but I had never imagined it without Paul standing next to me… Even though he wasn't there today, as the plane lifted gracefully from the runway I did whisper a 'thank you' to Paul for allowing me to be a part of this remarkable achievement." auname="Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch Systems addressing the press after the successful flight test"></div>



 Allen's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/A-company-owned-by-Microsofts-co-founder-just-unveiled-the-biggest-plane-in-the-world/articleshow/58949344.cms">brain child</a>, the Stratolaunch mega plane, is essentially a jet, carrying a rocket that's carrying a satellite. Once the plane takes off, it launched a rocket once it reaches an altitude of 35,000 feet which, in turn, launches satellite somewhere between 500 km to 2,000 km above the Earth. Allen reportedly sunk over $300 million into the Stratolaunch before it finally rolled out onto the tarmac in February last year after six years of extensive work. The first test flight was actually scheduled for 2015 but got <a href="https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/01/paul_allen_stratolaunch_satellite_launch_plane_test/">delayed</a> when Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, pulled out in 2012 to focus on the Falcon 9 launch system. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="PaulGAllen" handlename="Paul Allen" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/558434025954488320/E4r4Rlc__normal.jpeg" favoritecount="1471" retweetcount="641" status="Captured new video of @Stratolaunch plane as it reached a top taxi speed of 40 knots (46 mph) with all flight surfa… https://t.co/6hECkCluzA" createdat="1519664400000" id="968168785076142080"></div>



 This entire system has the potential to greatly reduce the cost of launching satellites into low earth orbit (LEO) by eliminating the need for launch pads and its supporting infrastructure, saving on fuel costs and being more resilient in the face of bad weather. 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="We finally did it. It was an emotional moment to watch this bird take flight." auname="Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch Systems addressing the press after the successful flight test"></div>



 But, the Stratolaunch is already facing stiff <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/paul-allens-rocket-launching-plane-is-the-biggest-in-the-world--here-is-how-it-stacks-up-to-other-great-flying-machines/articleshow/59149353.cms">competition</a> from Richard Branson's company, Virgin Orbit, that's scheduled to test its first flight mid-2019 and there are still plenty of bureaucratic hoops for it to clear before it can officially be in the business of launching satellites. Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne service is using a customised Boeing 747-400 which, unlike the Stratolaunch, is already a proven aircraft. Dan Hart, the CEO of Virgin Orbit stated, "We are well on our way towards providing new launch opportunities for small satellites that have waited too long for their ride to space." See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/inside-the-worlds-largest-plane-which-has-a-wingspan-longer-than-a-football-field-and-will-debut-in-2019/slidelist/63102751.cms">Inside the world's largest plane, which has a wingspan longer than a football field and will debut in 2019</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/Behold-the-largest-plane-in-the-US-Air-Force/articleshow/52238759.cms">Behold, the largest plane in the US Air Force</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/paul-allens-rocket-launching-plane-is-the-biggest-in-the-world--here-is-how-it-stacks-up-to-other-great-flying-machines/articleshow/59149353.cms">Paul Allen's rocket-launching plane is the biggest in the world - here is how it stacks up to other great flying machines</a>

The world's largest plane that finally flew was Microsoft co-founder late Paul Allen's idea

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The world's biggest plane has just reached another milestone. </li><li>Stratolaunch's carrier took a fully-fueled Talon-A hypersonic vehicle on a three-hour-long flight. </li></ul>The world's biggest plane broke another milestone after it flew with a fully-fueled hypersonic vehicle prototype for the first time.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stratolaunch-systems-carrier-aircraft-hypersonic-travel-spaceflight-2020-4">Stratolaunch's </a>Roc took to the air on Saturday carrying its TA-1 Talon-A hypersonic vehicle, fuelled with live propellant. This was a "significant step" forward in Talon-A's development, the company said in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stratolaunch.com/news/stratolaunch-completes-captive-carry-ta1/">a statement.</a>"While we have conducted several successful ground tests fueling and igniting the system, we needed to evaluate how the system performs in the flight environment prior to release," said Zachary Krevor, chief executive for Stratolaunch.The company plans to eventually use Talon-A to help the US military test components at hypersonic speeds, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/11/30/stratolaunch-us-navy-hypersonic/?expand_article=1">The Defense Post.</a><div type="image" title="Statolaunch's TA-1 vehicle is shown mounted on Roc in front of a sunset. Vapor is releasing from its rear." height="1110" width="2184" msid="105790847" hostid="261" sizebytes="225710"></div>Initial results from Saturday's flight, which lasted three hours and 22 minutes, showed the Talon-A's propulsion system "performed as predicted" while fully formed during the flight.This marks the company's 12th flight in total, the latest since it performed<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-plane-in-the-world-statrolaunch-roc-flying-video-2023-5"> its first drop test in May.</a>The company will review the data before determining the next steps but stated it aims to conduct a fully powered test flight of the Talon-A vehicle in the "near term."<div type="image" title="The Stratolaunch Roc is the world's largest plane." height="576" width="1024" msid="105790850" hostid="261" sizebytes="49370"></div><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/giant-stratolaunch-aircraft-lifts-off-from-california-2019-4">Roc</a> is Stratolaunch's carrier system, a mothership designed to bring heavy payloads like planes and rockets to the air. With its 385-foot-wide wingspan and six Boeing 747 engines, it can carry up to 500,000 pounds under its wings.While there have been planes with bigger wingspans, Roc takes the record in terms of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-biggest-airplane-stratolaunch-roc-photos-test-flight-wingspan-2023-1#the-stratolaunch-roc-is-the-worlds-biggest-aircraft-its-a-mothership-aircraft-which-means-its-designed-to-carry-rockets-and-smaller-vehicles-1">biggest all-composite plane ever constructed</a>.<div type="image" title="Stratolaunch Roc in flight." height="1334" width="2000" msid="105790851" hostid="261" sizebytes="156086"></div>First founded by the late <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-allen-stratolauch-biggest-plane-2017-6">Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft, in 2011</a>, Stratolaunch initially aimed to use Roc to air-launch rockets from high up in the atmosphere, much like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-galactic-laid-off-employees-focus-building-delta-class-spaceships-2023-11">Virgin Galactic</a>.But after Allen died in 2019, the company focused its efforts on hypersonic research, developing vehicles that aim to fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-roc-fueled-hypersonic-vehicle-test-flight">per Space.com</a>.The company has also teased the development of other lines of vehicles called Talon+ and Space Plane, though it has not released more information about the projects.

The world's biggest plane, with wings longer than a football field, flies with a fueled-up hypersonic vehicle for the first time 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Aerospace company Stratolaunch Systems is changing its mission and developing hypersonic aircraft that aims to reimagine spaceflight and long-distance travel. </li><li>The company has successfully built and flown a carrier aircraft, the Stratolaunch, to which hypersonic aircraft will be affixed and deployed from while airborne.</li><li>At 385 feet wide, the Stratolaunch is the largest plane in terms of wingspan capable of carrying multiple hypersonic vehicles at a time. </li><li>The smallest hypersonic aircraft, the Talon-A, which can travel six times the speed of sound is currently in development. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The world's largest aircraft has a new mission, facilitating hypersonic travel. Spaceflight-oriented aerospace company Stratolaunch Systems announced that its flagship aircraft, a six-engine carrier ship with two fuselages, will be a launch and test pad for the hypersonic vehicles of the future."Our hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for our government, the commercial sector, and academia," said Jean Ford, Stratolaunch's CEO, in a statement on the company's <a href="https://www.stratolaunch.com/stratolaunch">website</a>.Departing from its initial intention of launching satellites from the aircraft, according to <a href="https://www.space.com/stratolaunch-hypersonic-vehicles-worlds-biggest-airplane.html">Space.com</a>, Stratolaunch will shift to developing rocket-powered aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier multiple times over. The aircraft will launch while airborne from what is currently the world's largest aircraft in terms of wingspan.While supersonic aircraft have already been conquered by man, as seen with the legendary Concorde and SR-71 Blackbird, the hypersonic field is still relatively new with few recent advancements. A viable commercial hypersonic aircraft would have the capability of transforming spaceflight, making it more accessible, as well as possibly reshaping long-distance travel on Earth.Taking a page from SpaceX's book, the hypersonics will be reusable and be able to return safely to the surface following each mission. The first aircraft to be deployed will collect valuable data and research the effects of hypersonic flight will future aircraft will have the ability to transport cargo and passengers.Take a look at how Stratolaunch's newest focus has the ability to reshape high-speed travel and spaceflight as we know it.

The world's largest plane will soon be used to launch hypersonic aircraft capable of traveling 6 times the speed of sound

Stratolaunch Systems CorporationThe Stratolaunch aircraft.For decades, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-ukraine-build-antonov-an-225-2016-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ukraine's Antonov AN-225</a> has reigned supreme as the largest plane in the world.That is, until now.On Thursday, Stratolaunch rolled its low orbit launch aircraft out of the company's hangar in the California desert for the first time.With wings spanning 385 ft, it is the world's largest airplane by wingspan - besting the AN-225's 290 ft. wingspan.The aircraft is also 238 ft. long and 50 ft. tall.Like the AN-225, the Statolaunch plane is also powered by six high-bypass ratio turbofan engines. Stratolaunch - owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen - intends to use the aircraft to move forward with its vision to "provide convenient, reliable, and routine access to low Earth orbit."Stratolaunch Systems Corporation"This marks a historic step in our work to achieve Paul G. Allen's vision of normalizing access to low Earth orbit," Stratolaunch Systems Corporation CEO Jean Floyd said in a statement. "We have a lot of exciting activity ahead as we enter the testing process, and we look forward to sharing our progress during the coming months."Ahead of the roll out, Stratolaunch removed the three-story high scaffolding around the plane and lowered the 500,000 lbs. craft onto its 28 wheels for the first time. The Stratolaunch plane is expected to undergo ground tests, engine runs, and taxi tests before ultimately making its first flight.Stratolaunch Systems CorporationThe company plans to use the aircraft as a platform to launch rockets into orbit. Which is why it has a designed maximum takeoff weight of 1.3 million pounds. In fact, Stratolaunch believes the aircraft will be one day be able to deliver as many as three rockets into orbit on a single mission. According to Stratolaunch, the aircraft is on track to perform its first launch demonstration in 2019.Stratolaunch Systems Corporation <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boneyard-davis-monthan-air-force-base-military-retires-planes-amarg-2017-5">There's a 'Boneyard' in Arizona where most US military planes go to die</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

A company owned by Microsoft's co-founder just unveiled the biggest plane in the world

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Lake_Erie_(CG-70)_SM-3_start.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>A US Navy ship launches an SM-3 missile, which can take down satellites.In 2007, China fired a missile that flew 537 miles above the earth and smashed one of its weather satellites, <a href="https://www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worrisome-debris-cloud-circles-earth.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">causing thousands of pieces of debris</a> to drift endlessly through Earth's orbit. Just a year later, the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/20/satellite.shootdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US Navy responded</a> by shooting down a satellite in danger of falling out of earth's orbit at 133 miles and traveling at 17,000 mph with an SM-3 missile, which the US military fields hundreds of. Since then, Russia has completed <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-conducts-fifth-test-new-anti-satellite-missile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">at least five</a> anti-satellite missile tests.Though US astronauts aboard the Apollo 11 left behind a plaque on the moon in 1969 with the inscription "We came in peace for all mankind," in the intervening decades, space has become militarized as major superpowers now rely on satellite communications."Space is not a sanctuary, it is a war fighting domain," US Air Force Brigadier General Mark Baird said at the Defense One Tech Summit last week.The US military relies on space-based operations for everything including communications, coordination, navigation, and surveillance, Peter Singer, a senior fellow at non-partisan think tank New America and the author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Fleet-Novel-Next-World/dp/0544142845">Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War</a>," told Business Insider. Even civilian systems like the stock market are reliant on satellites because GPS systems "time-stamp" stock trades, according to Singer. "If you were an adversary attacking the US, you'd start by attacking satellites," said Singer. "The first shots in a war between the US and China or Russia, no one would likely hear." China and Russia also rely on space systems for numerous functions, but the US is more heavily dependent. Chinese and Russian jets still use analogue systems in their older jets and tanks and boats, and could operate better without satellites.In that way, the US's strength in space assets has become a dragging liability. <h2>New defenses emerging </h2><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nimbus-nasa-remembers-first-earth-observations">NASA</a>While the concept of a space-based conflict terrifies Baird, he said a range of growing technologies and possibilities also has him excited. In response to the growing space threat, the House of Representatives passed a National Defense Authorization Act with money set aside for a proposed sixth military branch, the Space Corps. While the Space Corps <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a27317/space-corps-military-branch-approved-by-house/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seems unlikely to make it through the Senate</a>, the Senate version of the NDAA does set aside extra money for increased space operations.But even with a dedicated military branch, there is just no protecting satellites, which sit defenseless in geosynchronous or predictable orbits above earth. Instead, companies and the military are leveraging shrinking processors and cameras to develop constellations of small satellites that can be easily launched, thus ending a reliance on large satellites that cost billions. The US would then be able to quickly replace downed satellites with smaller, cheaper ones that would simultaneously create more, lower-value targets for adversaries to find and destroy. For example, the massive <a href="http://www.stratolaunch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Stratolaunch</a> airplane, founded by billionaire Paul Allen, could one day fly high in the atmosphere and launch three rockets, each carrying multiple small satellites into orbit. Additionally, reusable rockets from companies like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/spacex" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SpaceX</a> could save the US time and money on launches, making it less damaging when a satellite is lost. Stratolaunch Systems Corporation<h2>The space debris problem</h2>While replacing large satellites with smaller ones works as a quick fix, it comes with major environmental concerns. Space debris from destroyed satellites clutters the domain and makes it harder for sensors and trackers to operate. In a worst-case scenario, the debris could potentially get into a very fast orbit around the earth and end up smashing holes into existing space systems. "I worry about anti-satellite business from the orbital debris mitigation point of view," Dr. Bhavya Lal, a research staff member at the <a href="https://www.ida.org/stpi.php">IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute</a>, said at the Defense One Tech Summit. According to Lal, the Chinese anti-satellite test in 2007 added approximately 3,000 pieces of debris to the more than half a million pieces "bigger than a marble" in Earth's orbit. With enough high-velocity debris flying around, the entire upper atmosphere of Earth could become unsuitable for satellites, possibly resetting technology back decades before the proliferation of space systems. Ronald C. Wittmann via Wikimedia Commons1986 DIA illustration of the IS system attacking a target.<h2>Deterrence</h2>Like all conflicts between major powers, space combat doesn't happen because it is deterred.The US's anti-satellite tests have demonstrated that it too can down another nation's satellites, to say nothing of the US's ability to counter any serious attack with its formidable nuclear forces. However, new technologies like Stratolaunch and others show that the US can can survive an initial space attack and get a new cluster of critical satellites up within a matter of hours if needed.For the US, the world's most powerful country, commanding forces is mainly about deterring aggression rather than fighting wars. As Vice Adm. Charles Richard, of the US's Strategic Command <a href="http://spacenews.com/stratcoms-no-2-says-space-norms-could-help-contain-north-korea-says-u-s-stratcoms-no-2-says-clear-space-norms-could-help-with-north-korea/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in March</a>: "While we're not at war in space, I don't think we could say we're exactly at peace either." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-thaad-missile-defense-system-strike-test-target-north-korea-icbm-irbm-2017-7">Watch the US THAAD missile defense system strike a ballistic missile in a target test</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

China and Russia could cripple the US with a space attack, but the US is pushing back

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashed last week during a test flight conducted by the private space company's development partner, Scaled Composites. 
The Virgin Spacecraft broke-up in mid-air after suffering what the company called an "in-flight anomaly."
SpaceShipTwo's pilot - 43-year-old Peter Siebold - was able to use his parachute to escape the craft, but he sustained injuries and was airlifted by helicopter from the California desert to a hospital.
His co-pilot - 39-year-old Michael Alsbury - was killed in the crash.
Both pilots were part of the Scaled Composite test team that was trained to fly SpaceShipTwo.
The company has endured tragedy before. In 2007, a rocket motor exploded during a ground test, killing three employees and injuring another three. 
You may have heard of Virgin Galactic and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson. But Scaled Composites is a more obscure name.
However, without Scaled Composites, there would be no Virgin Galactic as we now know it. 
Here are five things you may not know about the Mojave, Calif.-based company:
1. Scaled Composites was founded in 1982 by pioneering aviation engineer Burt Rutan. 
Rutan served as Scaled's chief technology officer until his retirement in 2011. The company has been a subsidiary of Northrup Grumman since the defence giant purchased the firm in 2007.
2. The company specializes in the design, production, and flight testing of air and spacecraft built from special non-metal composite materials.
3. Scaled - in association with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Mojave Aerospace Ventures, which invested $28 million- designed and built SpaceShipOne in 2003. A year later, SpaceShipOne won the coveted <a href="http://ansari.xprize.org/" target="_blank">Ansari X Prize</a>, worth $10 million in cash, to build a reusable manned spacecraft. SpaceShipOne is now on permanent display at the Smithsonian Air &amp; Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
4. Scaled Composites teamed up with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to form The Spaceship Company to design, build, and test future spacecraft. Virgin Galactic acquired Scaled Composites' 30% stake in The Spaceship Company in 2012. Overall, the Virgin Group has invested something on the order of $100 million in the effort to bring short trips to the edge of space within the reach of wealthy tourists.
5. Scaled-founder Rutan has teamed up with Paul Allen once again. This time, the company and its founder will help Allen's <a href="http://www.stratolaunch.com/" target="_blank">Stratolaunch Systems</a> to put cargo into orbit by launching rockets from a large airframe based on the WhiteKnightTwo mothership that Virgin Galactic used to launch SpaceShipTwo. Allen's new investment level hasn't been disclosed.

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