US aerospace company Stratolaunch conducted the first powered test flight of a new drone for hypersonic research on Saturday and said it was a success.

Hypersonics describe flight at speeds of at least Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

CEO Zachary Krevor said in a statement that the Talon-A-1 vehicle “reaches supersonic speeds approaching Mach 5 and collects massive amounts of data, delivering incredible value to our customers.”

Also read: 5 things about AI you might have missed today: ECI partners with OpenAI, bias in AI models, and more

Krevor said he could not disclose specific heights and speeds due to proprietary agreements with customers.

The company’s massive six-engine carrier-based aircraft, the Lock, lifted the Talon into the air, anchored it in the center of its massive wing, and released it off the coast of central California.

Powered by a liquid-fuel rocket engine, the “Claw” landed in the ocean as planned and ended its flight. While the claw is expendable, future versions will be able to land on runways for reuse.

Stratolaunch said the main objectives of the flight include safe air launch of the vehicle, engine ignition, acceleration, sustained climb and controlled water landing.

The company called the results a major milestone in the development of the first privately funded, reusable hypersonic testing capability in the United States.

Stratolaunch conducted two tethered flights in December and February, in which the Talon was carried aloft with propellant but was not released from the carrier.

Stratolaunch is based at the Mojave Air and Space Port in the Mojave Desert, north of Los Angeles.

Also read: Game Wars: Apple backs down in Epic Games battle, allows Fortnite to return to EU

Named after a giant mythical bird, the Roc aircraft has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 meters) and a twin fuselage giving the impression of two large jets flying side by side.

It was developed by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, who died a few months before its first flight in April 2019.

Allen intended it to be used as a carrier aircraft for space launches, carrying rockets carrying satellites under the center of the wings and releasing them at high altitudes.

The project was canceled and the new owner subsequently repurposed Stratolaunch to launch reusable hypersonic research vehicles.

Stratolaunch announced a flight contract as a subcontractor for Reston, Virginia-based Leidos Technologies Inc. with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Navy Multiservice Advanced Capabilities Test Bed program.