Space Firm Founded By Paul Allen Closing Operations, Report Says

Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, the space company founded by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is closing operations, cutting short ambitious plans to challenge traditional aerospace companies in a new 'space race,' Reuters reported Friday, citing four people familiar with the matter. From the report: The company, a unit of Allen's privately held investment vehicle Vulcan, had been developing a portfolio of launch vehicles including the world's largest airplane by wingspan to launch satellites and eventually humans into space. Allen, who founded Seattle-based Stratolaunch in 2011, died at age 65 last October. Stratolaunch aimed to launch Northrop's small-payload Pegasus from Stratolaunch's carrier plane in 2020.

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