Officials with an aerospace company say they’ve just completed the second successful test flight of an experimental hypersonic aircraft off the Central Coast.
The mission started at Mojave Airport when a giant aircraft lifted the Talon-A2 into the upper atmosphere for launch from the air. The aircraft, which serves as a 'mothership,' flew to Vandenberg Space Force Base and released the Talon, which then flew off the Pacific coast.
The mothership returned to Mojave. After its hypersonic flight, the unmanned Talon landed at Vandenberg.
The test flight took place in March, but because of security concerns, officials aren’t releasing the details of exactly when the flight occurred.
Stratolaunch has been developing the Talon as a test vehicle for the military to learn more about hypersonic flight.
Hypersonic flight means a craft travels at more than 3,800 miles an hour, or more than five times the speed of sound.
