This is one enormous airplane. Image Credit: YouTube / Stratolaunch
The gargantuan aircraft, which has a wingspan bigger than a football field, soared in to the sky on Saturday.
Measuring a whopping 385ft across and capable of carrying payloads of up to 500,000 pounds, the massive plane almost looks like two airliners stuck together with its unusual dual-fuselage design.
Spearheaded by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, the project aims to create a cost-effective and reliable means with which to launch satellites, shuttles and other spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.
The huge aircraft took off for the first time from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, California yesterday and stayed aloft for two-and-a-half hours at a peak altitude of 17,000ft.
Its maiden flight enabled engineers to get a proper feel for its performance and handling.
Once it is ready for commercial operations, the plane, which is named Roc, will be able to serve as a relatively inexpensive option for launching satellite-carrying rockets in to space.
"What a fantastic first flight," said Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd. "Today's flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground-launched systems."
"We are incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today's flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman's Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port."
What an innovative approach to launching things into space. I've read about anti-satellite missiles being launched from aircraft but I thought they were much higher when launched than 35,000 ft. I grew up watching NASA missions and I remember the excitement of waiting for a Saturn V launch but these days the thing that impresses me the most is the sight of launch vehicles RETURNING for a powered landing. That STILL amazes me.
A while back, I watched a YouTube video about this, and they said the pilot/co-pilot are only on one side. Both sides can be loaded with cargo/instruments/people however.
At 35,000 feet, they are above 3/4 of the Earth's atmosphere. That represents a considerable savings in fuel and, so, rocket weight, required to fight upward through atmospheric drag. The article doesn't mention it, but this plane can carry a payload of 400 tons (800,000 lbs.) !
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