Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has unveiled the world’s largest aeroplane Stratolaunch that is bigger than a football pitch and has a wingspan of 385-foot. The plane left its hangar in the California desert for the first time on Wednesday.
“We’re excited to announce that Stratolaunch aircraft has reached a major milestone in its journey toward providing convenient, reliable, and routine access to low Earth orbit,” Satratolaunch company announced on its website.
“Today, we’re moving the Stratolaunch aircraft out of the hangar – for the first time ever – to conduct aircraft fueling tests. This marks the completion of the initial aircraft construction phase and the beginning of the aircraft ground and flight testing phase,” the company said.
Announced in 2011, the Stratolaunch project aims to make an aeroplane that would be able to launch multiple rockets. However, this is not the only project in the world that aims to do so. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit has wants to accomplish similar feat using a Boeing 747-400 jet.
The “Stratolaunch” weighs up to 580 tons and features six jet engines. It is 50-feet high and has 28 wheels. Its creators want it to be able to fly at the altitude of around 35,000 feet and have a range of 2,000 nautical miles. The plane aims to save jet fuel compared to the process of launching them from the ground. The first flight of Stratolaunch is expected as early as 2019.
“Over the coming weeks and months, we’ll be actively conducting ground and flightline testing at the Mojave Air and Space Port. This is a first-of-its-kind aircraft, so we’re going to be diligent throughout testing and continue to prioritize the safety of our pilots, crew and staff. Stratolaunch is on track to perform its first launch demonstration as early as 2019,” the company said.
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