Stratolaunch, the company of American billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, has news for us. In the Californian desert, in complete peace, they built the largest plane that will fly into space. As befits a billionaire. This huge airship was taken for its first 'walk-through' last Wednesday and it looks, well, megalomaniacal.
First, let's get acquainted with the dimensions to help us imagine how big it really is. The wingspan measures 117 meters, which is larger than a football field, and measures in height 15 metersWithout fuel, it weighs poorly. 227 tons, and with fuel, incredible 590 tonsA little more than 10 Titanic. It stands on 28 wheels and drives it 6 engines planes Boeing 747.
The passengers on the plane will not be humans, but rockets. Companies Stratolaunch and Orbital ATK have joined forces as partners and will send rockets into space Pegasus XL, which can put smaller objects into orbit satellitesStratolaunch is supposed to carry rockets to altitudes of 11,000 meters, dropped them, and the rockets would launch into orbit from there.
READ MORE: SKYLON: THE PLANE THAT WILL TAKE US ANYWHERE AND INTO SPACE IN FOUR HOURS
Apparently, space is really on the billionaires' agenda, and it will be interesting to watch how events unfold. Maybe we'll even get to see weekend trips to the Moon.
Image gallery: The largest plane to fly into space
More information:
stratolaunch.com
