The Stratolaunch plane on its first flight | Image: Stratolaunch
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…