The Stratolaunch behemoth plane started from a man’s grand vision to mainstream the launching of satellites to space and to usher in a new era of space aeronautics.
Even during his lifetime, the late great Paul Allen’s name had already been immortalized in the annals of computing technology. He was one of few men who held the grandest visions for humanity and used their massive fortune to advance science and technology, philanthropy, and the preservation of the environment.
He had also dreamt of a plane that would get satellites into space more accessible and at much lower costs, which is possible by air-launching them from the plane’s belly instead of the conventional way of launching them from a launch site. So he created the Stratolaunch Systems Corporation to turn that grand dream into a mind-blowing reality.
On April 13, the company successfully completed the Stratolaunch’s historic maiden flight after lifting off from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, staying in-voyage for two hours, and hitting an altitude of 17,000 feet.
It is the world’s largest composite aircraft with a wingspan longer than a football field. It has a twin fuselage and runs with six 747 jet engines.
The test results confirmed that this behemoth of a plane executed flight control maneuvers such as yawing maneuvers and steady heading side slips.
The Stratolaunch is unfathomable, to say the least, and its immensity is matched only by the grand breakthrough in aerospace engineering it had ushered.
You should definitely watch the Stratolaunch’s first flight. But before you do, make sure you don’t have your mind blown out of your heads.