Man has built some gigantic
airplanes but in 2016, the largest plane till date is expected to take flight known
as the Stratolaunch.
Currently in construction at
California’s Mojave Air and Space Port, the mammoth aircraft, The Stratolaunch
is a development of Aerospace firm Scaled Composites. Nicknamed “Roc” after the
mythological bird, features two fuselages, six Pratt & Whitney jet engines,
28 landing gear wheels, and a whopping 385 foot wingspan its dimensions are
larger than of a football field. The brain behind it is none other than
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Read more:7 Top Methods to Earn Airline Miles
The Stratolaunch isn’t a means of
staking a claim as the largest plane in the world, that’s merely a side effect.
“Roc” is aiming to change the way satellites are launched into space.
Planned to carry a three-stage
rocket (equipped with a satellite) between its two fuselages, upon reaching the
correct altitude, the rocket will detach, blast off into space, and later
release the satellite. The combined weight of “Roc” plus the rocket is
estimated to be 1.3 million pounds.
A system like the Stratolaunch
will allow flexible satellite launches during a range of weather conditions and
from anywhere in the world with the only requirements of a runway big enough.
Initial flight testing is anticipated to begin in 2016, with missions expected
to go underway in 2018.
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