It already has the title airplane with the largest wingspan and now the Stratolaunch Roc has completed a test flight recording. The giant transport plane is designed to transport and launch hypersonic vehicles that move quickly speed of sound, like spacecraft. The goal is to use it as a mobile launch pad for satellites and other “space” objects. Roc flew over California’s Mojave Desert for six hours, the longest the plane has ever flown continuously.
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can wear 220 tons and has a wingspan of 117 meters, longer than an American football field and twice the wingspan of a Boeing 737. Speaking of Boeingthe Roc uses six 737 engines for operation.
Stratolaunch Boss, Zachary Krevor“Our amazing team continues to make progress on our testing schedule and their hard work brings us closer than ever to a safe separation and our first hypersonic flight tests.”
“We’re excited to see what’s in store for us this year as we bring our testing service online hypersonic flight for our customers and the nation.” This was the ninth test of the massive aircraft and the second using Stratolaunch’s Talon-A hypersonic test vehicle.
Stratolaunch Roc: new record of 6 flight hours https://t.co/XK99RfCYc1
— iCrewPlay Tech (@IcrewplayT) January 16, 2023
They hope to do the former “drop test” before the end of the year. Stratolaunch said the plane reached a maximum altitude of 6,860 meters during the test flight. The private space company was founded in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who before his death in 2018 said he wanted to make the space launch “more reliable, affordable and accessible than ever.”
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