{"id":13237,"date":"2019-04-13T23:40:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-13T15:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/worlds-largest-airplane-completes-first-flight\/"},"modified":"2019-04-13T23:40:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-13T15:40:56","slug":"worlds-largest-airplane-completes-first-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/worlds-largest-airplane-completes-first-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s largest airplane completes first flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_38043\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38043\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38043\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GRB0850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GRB0850.jpg 900w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GRB0850-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GRB0850-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/GRB0850-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38043\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stratolaunch\u2019s rocket carrier jet, the largest in the world, took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port shortly after 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT; 1400 GMT) Saturday. Credit: Gene Blevins\/LA Daily News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built for hauling rockets aloft to launch satellites, the world\u2019s biggest airplane landed Saturday after a widely-anticipated test flight over California\u2019s Mojave Desert, six months after the death of billionaire benefactor Paul Allen clouded the future of the project.<\/p>\n<p>The dual-fuselage, six-engine aircraft took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port shortly at 6:58 a.m. PDT (9:58 a.m. EDT; 1358 GMT) and flew for about two-and-a-half hours, reaching an altitude of around 17,000 feet (5,200 meters) and a top speed of 189 mph (304 kilometers per hour), the company said in a media briefing after the flight.<\/p>\n<p>The Stratolaunch aircraft, nicknamed \u201cRoc,\u201d is designed to carry rockets high into the atmosphere, providing a head start in altitude and velocity for satellites going into orbit around Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Stratolaunch\u2019s airplane has a wing span of 385 feet, or 117 meters, breaking the record for the widest wing span on an aircraft set by the Hughes\u2019 propeller-driven H-4 Hercules, or &nbsp;\u201cSpruce Goose,\u201d flying boat, which made a single brief test flight in 1947.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-lang=\"en\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782698677890318537=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Today the #Stratolaunch aircraft flew for 2.5 hours over the Mojave Desert, reaching a top speed of 189 mph. Check out the historic flight here: #StratoFirstFlight pic.twitter.com\/x29KifphNz<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Stratolaunch (@Stratolaunch) April 13, 2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Powered by six engines from Boeing\u2019s 747 jetliner, the Stratolaunch aircraft is 238 feet (73 meters) long and has a maximum takeoff weight of 650 tons (590 metric tons), according to information on the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n<p>Stratolaunch\u2019s airplane is not as heavy as the Antonov An-225 cargo plane, but its wing span is nearly twice that of the 747 jumbo jet.<\/p>\n<p>The plane returned to landing at Mojave, where engineers from Scaled Composites assembled the aircraft over the last few years. Saturday\u2019s flight came after a series of ground checkouts that culminated in high-speed taxi tests early this year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38044\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38044\" style=\"width: 720px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38044\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/STRATOLAUNCH-FLIES-7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/STRATOLAUNCH-FLIES-7.jpg 720w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/STRATOLAUNCH-FLIES-7-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/STRATOLAUNCH-FLIES-7-678x463.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38044\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The world\u2019s largest airplane, built by the late Paul Allen\u2019s company Stratolaunch, makes its inaugural flight over California. Credit: Gene Blevins\/LA Daily News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stratolaunch is part of Vulcan Inc., a holding company established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The project was unveiled in 2011, when officials said the huge airplane would make its first flight in 2015 or 2016.<\/p>\n<p>The project was originally conceived as a partnership between Allen, SpaceX\u2019s Elon Musk, and Burt Rutan, founder of Scale Composites, the designer of Virgin Galactic\u2019s SpaceShipTwo suborbital space plane.<\/p>\n<p>But SpaceX stopped work on its air-launched rocket concept in 2012, and Stratolaunch entered into discussions with Orbital Sciences to develop a bigger version of the company\u2019s Pegasus rocket. Stratolaunch eventually decided against that idea, and in 2016 announced that Orbital ATK\u2019s baseline Pegasus XL rocket would launch from the company\u2019s gigantic airplane.<\/p>\n<p>Up to three Pegasus launchers could be mounted under the Stratolaunch aircraft on the same flight. Pegasus rockets currently launch one at a time from a Lockheed L-1011 carrier jet.<\/p>\n<p>The solid-fueled Pegasus rocket has launched 43 times on satellite delivery missions since 1990. The Pegasus program is now owned by Northrop Grumman, which acquired Orbital ATK last year, following the 2015 merger of Orbital Sciences and the space and missile divisions of Alliant Techsystems.<\/p>\n<p>Northrop Grumman is also the owner of Scale Composites, the designer and manufacturer of the Stratolaunch airplane.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Stratolaunch announced a roadmap for its own rocket family, beginning with a Medium Launch Vehicle that could debut in 2022 and lift up to 8,000 pounds (3,400 kilograms) of payload into low Earth orbit. Stratolaunch also revealed plans for a heavy-lift launcher and a space plane that could fire into orbit after a high-altitude drop from the aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>Allen died last October from&nbsp;complications of non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma, and Stratolaunch said in January that it was ending development of its own rockets.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_38045\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-38045\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38045\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/launch_family-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/launch_family-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/launch_family-1024x577-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/launch_family-1024x577-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/launch_family-1024x577-678x381.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-38045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Last August, Stratolaunch announced plans for a series of bigger rockets that could fly from the company\u2019s carrier aircraft. But company founder Paul Allen died in October, and Stratolaunch has ended work on its own rockets to focus on preparations for a demonstration with Northrop Grumman\u2019s already-existing Pegasus XL rocket, seen at left in this artist\u2019s illustration. Credit: Stratolaunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Stratolaunch\u2019s future clouded by Paul Allen\u2019s death<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are streamlining operations, focusing on the aircraft and our ability to support a demonstration launch of the Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL air-launch vehicle,\u201d a Stratolaunch spokesperson said in January.<\/p>\n<p>A Northrop Grumman official told Spaceflight Now last year that rocket motors for two Pegasus XL rockets purchased by Stratolaunch were delivered to Northrop Grumman\u2019s facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, where the company assembles Pegasus launchers for flight.<\/p>\n<p>The Pegasus XL demonstration launch with Stratolaunch was expected in 2020, officials said last year. In a press release after Saturday\u2019s flight, the company said the aircraft\u2019s reinforced center wing can accommodate multiple launch vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>But Stratolaunch provided no updates on future test plans Saturday. Company officials did not take questions from reporters in a media conference call after the aircraft landed.<\/p>\n<p>Other than Northrop Grumman\u2019s agreement with Stratolaunch, there\u2019s only one confirmed Pegasus XL rocket mission on contract. That mission will carry NASA\u2019s Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON satellite, into low Earth orbit later this year, following more than a year of delays caused by technical issues on the Pegasus rocket.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35040\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35040\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-35040\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/31631731448_7a000575d8_k.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/31631731448_7a000575d8_k.jpg 900w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/31631731448_7a000575d8_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/31631731448_7a000575d8_k-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/31631731448_7a000575d8_k-678x452.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35040\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In this photo from last year, the fully-assembled Pegasus XL rocket with the ICON satellite is prepared for attachment to its L-100 carrier aircraft at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Last year, Northrop Grumman officials said the company had started producing rocket motors for the first Pegasus XL rocket assigned to Stratolaunch. Credit: NASA\/Randy Beaudoin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The last two Pegasus launch contracts awarded by NASA cost more than $50 million. The Pegasus rocket can deliver a payload of up to 815 pounds (370 kilograms) to a 250-mile-high (400-kilometer) orbit.<\/p>\n<p>While Stratolaunch\u2019s future is cloudy, the market outlook for the Pegasus rocket also appears somewhat rocky. There are numerous rockets in development by startup space companies that could haul a similarly-sized satellite into the same orbit, at a fraction of the cost of a Pegasus mission.<\/p>\n<p>But the Pegasus rocket remains the world\u2019s only air-dropped satellite launcher, an attribute touted as adding flexibility for satellite operators needing to launch into unique orbits. Virgin Orbit\u2019s LauncherOne will attempt to become the second orbital-class air-launched rocket later this year.<\/p>\n<p>Stratolaunch said pilots evaluated aircraft performance and handling qualities Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat a fantastic first flight,\u201d said Jean Floyd, CEO of Stratolaunch. \u201cToday\u2019s flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground launched systems. We are incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today\u2019s flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman\u2019s Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pilots performed a variety of flight control maneuvers to calibrate speed and test flight control systems, Stratolaunch said in a statement. The maneuvers included&nbsp;roll doublets, yawing maneuvers, pushovers and&nbsp;pull-ups, and steady&nbsp;heading side slips.<\/p>\n<p>The flight crew also conducted simulated landing approach exercises, according to Stratolaunch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&nbsp;all know Paul would have been&nbsp;proud to witness today\u2019s historic achievement,\u201d&nbsp;said Jody Allen, Paul Allen\u2019s sister, chair of Vulcan Inc. and trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust.&nbsp;\u201cThe aircraft&nbsp;is&nbsp;a remarkable engineering achievement and we congratulate everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stratolaunch\u2019s rocket carrier jet, the largest in the world, took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port shortly after 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT; 1400 GMT) Saturday. Credit: Gene Blevins\/LA Daily News Built for hauling rockets aloft to launch satellites, the world\u2019s biggest airplane landed Saturday after a widely-anticipated test flight over California\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[291,25,2212,554,2570,2672,1828,755],"class_list":["post-13237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-commercial-space","tag-launch","tag-mojave-air-and-space-port","tag-northrop-grumman","tag-northrop-grumman-innovation-systems","tag-paul-allen","tag-pegasus","tag-pegasus-xl"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13237"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}