With a wingspan of 385 feet, and being 238 feet long, it is wider than any airplane.
The world’s largest aircraft, developed by aerospace venture Stratolaunch, finished its initial flight test on Saturday.
With a dual fuselage design and wingspan bigger than the length of an American football field, this thing took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in the U.S. state of California at 6:58 a.m. Pacific Time.
Accomplishing a maximum speed of 189 miles (302.4 km) per hour, the plane flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. As part of the first flight, the pilots reviewed aircraft performance and handling qualities before landing successfully back at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
“What a fantastic first flight,” stated Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch. “Today’s flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground-launched systems. We are highly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today’s flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman’s Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port.”
Regarding initial outcomes from Saturday’s test flight, Stratolaunch stated the plane performed a variety of flight control maneuvers to marked speed and test flight control systems, consisting of roll doublets, yawing maneuvers, pushovers and pull-ups, and steady heading side slips.
Moreover, it carried out simulated landing approach exercises at a max altitude of 15,000 feet mean sea level. The Stratolaunch aircraft is a mobile launch platform that is going to allow airline-style access to space that is suitable, affordable and routine. The reinforced center wing can back multiple launch vehicles, weighing up to 500,000 pounds.
The airplane has a world-record wingspan of 385 feet, and it is 238 feet long. It is wider than any airplane in the world, according to a CNN report. Stratolaunch was established by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2011.
