aerospace engineering
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Watch as World’s Largest Plane Releases Hypersonic Vehicle for Its First Powered Test Flight
California startup Stratolaunch completed the first powered flight of its Talon-A hypersonic vehicle as it works to develop a reusable version that’s capable of carrying science payloads and flying them at five times the speed of sound. The company’s massive aircraft, named Roc, launched on Saturday from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California…
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When Will Supersonic Passenger Planes Come Back?
Last week, we delved into the history of supersonic passenger planes — how they were developed, when and where they flew, and ultimately, what killed them. We also enumerated the many challenges facing the future of faster-than-sound passenger travel: noise, fuel consumption, and potentially outrageous per-passenger costs.
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Suspected Debris From Chinese Rocket Falls Onto Three Indian Villages
An area on the western coast of India has been hit by fragments of space debris that may have been a result of a Chinese rocket re-entering the atmosphere and breaking up into smaller pieces. Sadly, this is becoming an all-too-familiar story.
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See the ExoMars Parachute Deploy From 29 Kilometres Up
A dummy ascended to stratospheric heights last week, as part of the European Space Agency’s ongoing preparation for its ExoMars mission, set to launch next year. The structural integrity (and reputation) of the dummy’s parachutes were on the line, and the above clip shows they passed the test.