Stratolaunch recently acquired a 22-year-old Boeing 747 from Virgin Orbit.
Stratolaunch recently acquired a 22-year-old Boeing 747 from Virgin Orbit.
  • Hypersonic testing startup Stratolaunch has acquired a 22-year-old Boeing 747 named Spirit of Mojave.
  • The jumbojet previously flew as a satellite launch aircraft for Virgin Orbit, a spinoff company from Virgin Galactic.
  • The 747 will operate alongside Stratolaunch's gigantic mothership plane called Roc.

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.