Submitted via IRC for AnonymousCoward
Stratolaunch, which built the world's largest plane, is changing ownership
Stratolaunch Systems — the aerospace company created by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen — is changing ownership. The company announced today that it is no longer owned by its original holding company, Vulcan Inc., and has been sold to a now undisclosed owner.
The news comes four months after reports started surfacing that Stratolaunch was on the brink of closing up shop, following the death of Allen in October of 2018. CNBC then reported in June that the company was up for sale, valued at $400 million. At the time, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson was supposedly interested, as Stratolaunch uses similar launch technology to the billionaire's space companies, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit. However, Branson reportedly pitched buying Stratolaunch for $1, according to CNBC.
[...] Stratolaunch, based in Seattle and Mojave, designed and built a massive carrier aircraft, made to hoist rockets into the air and launch them to orbit. With a wingspan of 385 feet, the dual-fuselage plane is considered the biggest in the world. Stratolaunch flew the vehicle for the first time in April on its one and only test flight. The company had an agreement to fly Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL rockets from the plane, but those flights never took place.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 14 2019, @09:28PM (4 children)
"Branson reportedly pitched buying Stratolaunch for $1"
Fuck 'em.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 14 2019, @09:35PM
That's the price of debt.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday October 14 2019, @10:14PM (2 children)
$1 seems a fair value to me.
One plane, which has flown once.
No customers
No business plan
They might be lucky to get a whole dollar.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 14 2019, @10:38PM (1 child)
"No customers
No business plan"
and clearly 'worthless' technical knowledge which was to be given to some British prick for free.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday October 15 2019, @12:22AM
It is going to be hard to argue that Richard Branson is not a prick, so I won't try, but putting old 747 engines on a big air frame is not really an idea that has much value.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 15 2019, @06:15AM
People with deep pockets who want this not for what was produced, but for the accumulated research and technology - Saudi, China, or other dangerous players. Cloaks of "unnamed buyer" should raise immediate security concerns.