Stratolaunch is a reality.

[Mike Mercury]

World's biggest plane with 2 cockpits, 6 jet engines and a wingspan longer than a football field will take off within MONTHS

Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, unveiled the enormous aircraft in June 2017. Stratolaunch is designed to carry rockets between its two fuselages before they launch into space from air. The six-engine plane has a wingspan of 385 feet. It could run supplies to the International Space Station and deliver satellites and experiments into orbit. In the long term, once it has been deemed safe enough, it could even carry astronauts into space












The aircraft - which is the vision of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen - has a wingspan longer than a football field and comes equipped with two cockpits, 28 wheels and six engines normally used to power 747 jumbo jets.

Eventually will be used to transport rockets carrying satellites and people into the Earth's upper atmosphere, where they will blast off into space.

At the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado, Stratolaunch revealed that it hoping to conduct the monster plane's first flight this summer.

It has already gone through two taxi tests in the past few months, with top speeds if 28mph (41km/h) and 46mph (74km/h).

The plane still has to go through three more taxi tests before it can fly, the company said.

According to Engadget, Stratolaunch has to reach taxi speeds up to 80mph (128km/h) and then 138mph (222km/h) during its next tests.

For comparison, typical jetliners have to go as fast as 150 to 180 mph to take off (241km/h to 190km/h).

As well as sending cargo to space, the plane could be used to launch a secretive Shuttle-sized rocket codenamed 'Black Ice', according to its creator.

The claims were made earlier this year by Christian Davenport, a reporter who covers the defence and space industries for the financial desk of the Washington Post.

He interviewed Stratolaunch and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, in preparation for his upcoming book on the new space race developing between tech billionaires - including Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, and Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

During conversations last summer, Allen - who wants the Stratolaunch to act as a giant air pad in the sky, allowing payloads to reach space faster and at a lower cost than existing technologies - detailed the firm's plans for the giant aircraft.

In an excerpt published by the Washington Post, Allen said: 'I would love to see us have a full reusable system and have weekly, if not more often, airport-style, repeatable operations going.'

Black Ice could be launched from anywhere with a runway large enough to safely accommodate the giant plane it would be strapped to.

Once its mission is complete, the vehicle could then land back on a runway and be prepared to fly once more.

Speaking about the possibility of manned missions, Allen said: 'If you caught the bug back in the Mercury era, of course it’s in the back of your mind.

'But I think you’re seeing right now, other than [space station] resupply missions, most spaceflights are about launching satellites. That’s the reality. As well as sending cargo to space, the plane could be used to launch a secretive Shuttle-sized rocket codenamed 'Black Ice', according to its creator.

'And they are extremely important for everything from television to data all over the world. You can get data in the Kalahari Desert because there’s a satellite up there.'

In its latest low-speed taxi test, conducted on February 25, 2018, all six of its 8,940lbs (4,000kg) engines were fired.

The Stratolaunch is so large it needs twin fuselages, each equipped with its own cockpit.

The main purpose of the latest test, which took place at California's Mojave Air and Space Port, was to put the aircraft’s ability to steer and stop through its paces.

A ground team from Stratolaunch Systems Corp monitored a number of systems, including steering, braking, anti-skid and telemetry.

Engineers conducted the aircraft's first low-speed taxi test in December, but during this run the vehicle only hit 25 knots (28mph/45km/h).

When the aircraft is eventually airborne, the three-person crew - pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer - will sit in the right-hand fuselage, steering the plane a fair distance to the right of the centerline.

The left-hand fuselage has what looks like a cockpit with windows to onlookers, but the section is in fact empty and unpressurised.

The Stratolaunch weighs approximately 500,000 pounds without any cargo, and designed to carry a maximum takeoff weight of 1.3 million pounds, according to The Verge.

(Tim sez: I'd feel more comfortable with the design if the two fuselages were also joined at the tail section somehow. Just joining via the main wing is risky, oscillations and malfunctions in the flight surfaces can cause the two fuse's to fight against each other... tearing one off.)

[StaticCling]

Wow! Very cool.

[Stangkiller]

Looking at the overlay of the other large planes it really makes me think that Russian heavy lift may still have more lifting power....why go with such a crazy design? They could have parked a rocket on top of an existing plane ala the space shuttle on a 747.

[78SA]

The left-hand fuselage has what looks like a cockpit with windows to onlookers, but the section is in fact empty and unpressurised.

So it doesn't really have 2 cockpits.

[Thunder22]

Looks like Paul Allen is channeling Howard Hughes.... I wonder if he saves his urine in milk bottles too.

[Kevin_73]

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

Looking at the overlay of the other large planes it really makes me think that Russian heavy lift may still have more lifting power....why go with such a crazy design? They could have parked a rocket on top of an existing plane ala the space shuttle on a 747.

The rocket has to be dropped before firing. It would be kinda hard to do that if it were mounted on top of a plane.

I don't understand why they didn't tie the tail sections together. With the design as it is now there is the possibility of enormous twisting forces on the center wing section. I would assume they are using fly by wire and computers to minimize these forces, but I don't think I would trust it. I will be surprised if this thing doesn't fold itself up during testing.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Kevin_73

The rocket has to be dropped before firing. It would be kinda hard to do that if it were mounted on top of a plane.

tail rudders aren't that important.

[VatorMan]

Originally Posted by Kevin_73

The rocket has to be dropped before firing. It would be kinda hard to do that if it were mounted on top of a plane.

I don't understand why they didn't tie the tail sections together. With the design as it is now there is the possibility of enormous twisting forces on the center wing section. I would assume they are using fly by wire and computers to minimize these forces, but I don't think I would trust it. I will be surprised if this thing doesn't fold itself up during testing.

What do you gain by having 2 separate tail sections-unless that would interfere with the rocket.

[DAB]

a tail section cross beam would get in the way of the rocket payload release.

[FasterTraffic]

Originally Posted by 78SA

"The left-hand fuselage has what looks like a cockpit with windows to onlookers, but the section is in fact empty and unpressurised."
So it doesn't really have 2 cockpits.

The left side cockpit is where you put the mannequin dressed as a pilot and posed swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by DAB

tail rudders aren't that important.

They say that parachutes aren't necessary for skydiving either, unless you want to do it more than once.


Your paraprosdokian for the day

[snide]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

They say that parachutes aren't necessary for skydiving either, unless you want to do it more than once.


Your paraprosdokian for the day

I've done skydiving more than once. I always recommend using a parachute. The landings are usually softer.

[Kevin_73]

Originally Posted by snide

I've done skydiving more than once. I always recommend using a parachute. The landings are usually softer.

I'm gonna recommend that every person flying on the Stratolaunch wear one too, cause that thing aint gonna fly worth a crap after it folds in half.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Kevin_73

I'm gonna recommend that every person flying on the Stratolaunch wear one too, cause that thing aint gonna fly worth a crap after it folds in half.

but with 3 engines, they can crash at full speed!

[SQUIRMIN VERMIN 84]

Originally Posted by FasterTraffic

The left side cockpit is where you put the mannequin dressed as a pilot and posed swigging from a bottle of Jack Daniels.

Also inflatable Otto Pilot.....

[Sea Six]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

Your paraprosdokian for the day

Thanks, but I'm gonna need two.

A pair of paraprosdokians, as it were.
















*paraprosdokia

[Mike Mercury]

the second cockpit is where the payload specialists/mission engineers are to sit and monitor the seperation and flight of the payload when dropped. Not intended to have a spare plane pilot there; thus no need for duplicate controls.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

Looking at the overlay of the other large planes it really makes me think that Russian heavy lift may still have more lifting power....why go with such a crazy design? They could have parked a rocket on top of an existing plane ala the space shuttle on a 747.

But you can't launch a rocket or shuttle that's attached on the top of the plane. It needs to be dropped before the rocket engines ignite. You need to design a plane that has stable flight characteristics both with and without a huge payload strapped to the bottom.

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

Your paraprosdokian for the day

[snide]

Originally Posted by Mike Mercury

I do #10 all the time.