A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.
The NASA X-43 being dropped from under the wing of a B-52 Stratofortress
Orbital Sciences Stargazer, a converted Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 500 carrying a Pegasus XL rocket
A Sparrowhawk fighter attached to the "trapeze" apparatus of Macon, 1933
A Japanese Mitsubishi G4M2e Betty launching an Ohka
The North American X-15 is a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the X-plane series of experimental aircraft. The X-15 set speed and altitude records in the 1960s, crossing the edge of outer space and returning with valuable data used in aircraft and spacecraft design. The X-15's highest speed, 4,520 miles per hour, was achieved on 3 October 1967, when William J. Knight flew at Mach 6.7 at an altitude of 102,100 feet (31,120 m), or 19.34 miles. This set the official world record for the highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft, which remains unbroken.
North American X-15
X-15 after igniting rocket engine
X-15A-2, with sealed ablative coating, external fuel tanks, and ramjet dummy test
Cockpit of an X-15