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Stratolaunch sold to mystery buyer, raising hopes that world’s largest plane will fly again

Stratolaunch's Roc took flight for the first time ever on April 13th, 2019, and it's looking likely that the aircraft may finally have the opportunity to fly again. (Stratolaunch)

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Stratolaunch Systems Corp. – a space launch venture created by the late Microsoft co-founder billionaire Paul Allen – debuted the world’s largest plane (nicknamed Roc) in April 2019, completing one flawless flight before reports of its indefinite grounding arose.

In June, parent holding company Vulcan Inc. – led by Allen’s sister after his death – planned to cease Stratolaunch’s operations in anticipation of a total liquidation – including the aircraft, intellectual property, and facilities – worth up to $400 million. However, the Roc may live to fly once again after an official October 11th announcement, in which Stratolaunch indicated that the company has “transitioned ownership and is continuing regular operations.”

Prior to the announcement, NASASpaceflight.com photographer Jack Beyer posted photos to twitter appearing to show new activity at Stratolaunch’s Mojave Air and Space Port hangar. The post garnered a response from Nicola Pecile – test pilot with Virgin Galactic – who stated that operations seem likely to resume “in a few weeks” citing that hiring notices were recently sent to members of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP).

Initially, Allen developed the company to launch air-to-orbit rockets from a carrier aircraft mid-flight. To say that Stratolaunch has experienced turbulence during development may be an understatement. Since its inception, conceptualization redesigns and failed partnerships with various rocket launch vehicle companies have plagued operational efforts.

In 2011 Stratolaunch partnered with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to develop a multi-stage launch vehicle named the Falcon 9 Air that would be dropped from a carrier aircraft. The Falcon 9 Air would have been capable of delivering payloads up to 6,100kg (13, 400lbs) to low Earth orbit (LEO) from flight altitudes of 30,000ft with the assist of 4 Merlin 1D engines – the same engines that now propel SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy boosters.

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In 2012 SpaceX and Stratolaunch amicably parted ways with SpaceX citing design alterations that no longer worked with their envisioned Falcon 9 Air launch vehicle.

A panorama of Roc prior to its inaugural flight on April 13th, 2019. (Stratolaunch)

Following the dissolution of the partnership with SpaceX, Stratolaunch partnered with Orbital Sciences Corp (Orbital ATK) – now a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman – to develop the Pegasus II which was ultimately shelved to pursue in-house developed launch vehicles. Following the death of Paul Allen in 2018 that plan was also abandoned as Allen’s sister, Jody Allen, set an exit plan for the company in early 2019 according to Reuters.

However, the recent buy out by a mystery purchaser has seemingly breathed new life into Stratolaunch as the Twitter announcement also mentioned that the company will now “bring the carrier aircraft test and operations program fully in-house.” What this means for the future of the Roc and any air-to-orbit launches remains unclear.

The Roc itself is comprised of twin fuselages connected by a reinforced center wing and features an incredible wingspan of 117m (385ft), 28 landing gear wheels, and six Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines – as well as many other components – salvaged from donor Boeing 747-400s. It is both the largest and heaviest aircraft (excluding payload) to have ever flown.

With a nickname derived from a mythical bird so large it could carry an elephant in flight, it would have been a tragedy if the one-of-a-kind aircraft were to be scrapped, mothballed, or placed in a museum after just a single flight. With Hope Stratolaunch’s October 11th announcement, the future of the massive plane has thankfully stabilized in spite of significant uncertainty, and hope remains that Roc’s new owner(s) will find a way to continue flying the aircraft.

Check out Teslarati’s newsletters for prompt updates, on-the-ground perspectives, and unique glimpses of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery processes.

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Elon Musk

Tesla reveals it is using AI to make factories more sustainable: here’s how

Tesla is using AI in its Gigafactory Nevada factory to improve HVAC efficiency.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has revealed in its Extended Impact Report for 2024 that it is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable its factories to be more sustainable. One example it used was its achievement of managing “the majority of the HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled” last year.

In a commitment to becoming more efficient and making its production as eco-friendly as possible, Tesla has been working for years to find solutions to reduce energy consumption in its factories.

For example, in 2023, Tesla implemented optimization controls in the plastics and paint shops located at Gigafactory Texas, which increased the efficiency of natural gas consumption. Tesla plans to phase out natural gas use across its factories eventually, but for now, it prioritizes work to reduce emissions from that energy source specifically.

It also uses Hygrometric Control Logic for Air Handling Units at Giafactory Berlin, resulting in 17,000 MWh in energy savings each year. At Gigafactory Nevada, Tesla saves 9.5 GWh of energy through the use of N-Methylpyrrolidone refineries when extracting critical raw material.

Perhaps the most interesting way Tesla is conserving energy is through the use of AI at Gigafactory Nevada, as it describes its use of AI to reduce energy demand:

“In 2023, AI Control for HVAC was expanded from Nevada and Texas to now include our Berlin-Brandenburg and Fremont factories. AI Control policy enables HVAC systems within each factory to work together to process sensor data, model factory dynamics, and apply control actions that safely minimize the energy required to support production. In 2024, this system achieved two milestones: the majority of HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled, reducing fan and thermal energy demand; and the AI algorithm was extended to manage entire chiller plants, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes both chilled water consumption and the energy required for its generation, all while maintaining factory conditions.”

Tesla utilizes AI Control “primarily on systems that heat or cool critical factory production spaces and equipment.” AI Control communicates with the preexisting standard control logic of each system, and any issues can be resolved by quickly reverting back to standard control. There were none in 2024.

Tesla says that it is utilizing AI to drive impact at its factories, and it has proven to be a valuable tool in reducing energy consumption at one of its facilities.

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Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.

Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.

However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.

President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”

Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”

“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”

Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.

Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.

Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports

Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.

Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.

Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.

It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.

Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.

The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.

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