World's largest airplane set to take off next year
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With ambition to further revolutionize aerospace technology and outer space research, a megaplane is currently under construction to become the biggest aircraft in the world. Named Stratolaunch Carrier, the world's biggest airplane is set to fly out next year for the first test flight. According to reports, the aircraft will serve as a giant air pad up in the sky that would allow payloads to reach outer space faster with less cost.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
8/5/2015 (1 decade ago)
Published in Travel
Keywords: Stratolaunch Carrier, Rocket, Space, Aerospace, Technology, Science, Dream Chaser, Aircraft, World's Biggest Airplane, First Test Flight
MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Stratolaunch Carrier has a wingspan of 117 meters, longer than the 97 meters of Hughes H-4 Hercules and 68 meters for the Boeing 747-8. The aircraft is the brainchild of Paul Allen, Microsoft's co-founder, and Burt Rutan, founder of Scaled Composites.
Although there is some skepticism because of the crash of the SpaceShipTwo, which Virgin blamed on Scaled Composites, the company confirmed that the construction in Mojave Air and Spaceport in California is pushing through as planned.
"Scaled Composite's failure to consider and protect against human error and the co-pilot's premature unlocking of the spaceship's feather system," said Virgin in a statement last week. The accident left one pilot dead and another with minor injuries.
This aircraft is going to be powered by 747-class engines, upon its completion, and will fly up to 30,000 feet to launch a rocket without using as much rocket fuel as our existing technologies that launch from the ground.
Its system was built to deliver satellites weighing about 6,000 kg into orbit between 180 km and 2,000 km above Earth, according to The Daily Mail. The creators are also looking at the possibility of launching a Dream Chaser spaceship instead.
Last October, Stratolaunch Executive Director Charles Beames said that the Dream Chaser launch seemed logical, according to the Daily Mail.
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