THIS gigantic aircraft which will launch satellite-carrying rockets into space and is the world’s biggest based on its wingspan was unveiled for the first time yesterday.
The colossal plane, backed by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and boasting a 385-foot wingspan which is longer than an American football pitch, was rolled out from its hangar in California, USA.
7 Stratolaunch has unveiled the giant plane for the first time as it emerged from its hangar in California for testingCredit: Getty Images
7 The plane’s massive wingspan measures 385ft which is wider than an American football pitchCredit: Getty Images
7
Crew members look on as the Stratolaunch plane is pushed out of the hangar for the first time in the Mojave desert, California
7 The Stratolaunch aircraft weighed in at 500,000 pounds (226,796 kilograms) and has the world’s largest plane wingspanCredit: Splash News
The project led by Stratolaunch Systems began six years ago and aims to “revolutionise orbital travel”.
Using six huge passenger 747 jet engines, it will launch the rockets carrying small satellites into space and “potentially humans someday”, according to Allen.
Stratolaunch Systems Corporation chief executive Jean Floyd said the plane is now on track for its first demonstration in 2019.
He said in a blog post: “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.
“We’re moving the Stratolaunch aircraft out of the hangar – for the first time ever – to conduct aircraft fuelling tests.
“Once we achieved weight-on-wheels, it enabled us to weigh the Stratolaunch aircraft for the first time, coming in at approximately 500,000 lbs.
“That may sound heavy, but remember that the Stratolaunch aircraft is the world’s largest plane by wingspan, measuring 385ft – by comparison, a National Football League field spans only 360ft.
“This marks a historic step in our work to achieve Paul Allen’s vision of normalising access to low Earth orbit.
“This is a first-of-its-kind aircraft, so we’re going to be diligent throughout testing.”
7 The aircraft is 238 feet from nose to end, and it is 50 feet from the ground to the tip of its vertical tail.Credit: Splash News
7 Using huge passenger jet engines, it would be able to launch payloads, satellites and someday humans into low-Earth orbit, Allen said six years agoCredit: Splash News
7 When the ambitious venture was launched some six years ago by Allen, they vowed it would revolutionise orbital travelCredit: Splash News
Stratolaunch plane
The twin-boom aircraft has two cockpits, a wingspan of 385 feet, a length of 238ft and a tail height of 50ft, reports Space.com.
The massive plane weighs 550,000 lbs and a whooping 1.3 million lbs (590,000 kg) when fully loaded with a rocket payload.
It takes six Pratt & Whitney PW4056 747 jet engines to power the monster jet, which has 28 wheels.
A staggering 60 miles of wiring runs through the plane.
It is the largest airplane in the world by its wingspan which measures a 385ft. In comparison an American football pitch measures 25ft less.
The carrier plane has been designed to launch rockets carrying small satellites into orbit from an altitude of 30,000 feet.
These rockets will be tethered to the belly of the giant plane – dropping and “air launching” into space at the correct height.
The plane has reportedly been nicknamed “the Roc”, after a mythical Middle Eastern bird which was so big it could carry an elephant in its claws.
Support structures were removed from the plane during the past few weeks, allowing it to rest on its 28 wheels for the first time.
Stratolaunch will now be checking the fuel systems, engines and more on the ground at its air and space port in the Mojave desert in California, according to Floyd.
Google boss Sergey Brin has been secretly building the world’s largest aircraft, according to reports.
The 600ft long airship, which is understood to resemble a zeppelin, is being constructed in a former Nasa hangar in Silicon Valley.
The world’s longest aircraft crashed on a test flight after hitting power lines, a report has found.
The 302ft Airlander 10, dubbed the Giant Bum due to its look, nosedived at Cardington Airfield, Beds, last August.