The Stratolaunch, the largest aircraft in the world, once again flew the size of a football field from one arc to another

The giant Stratolaunch aircraft succeeded in its sixth test flight on Monday across the skies of California For more than five hours, this time it carries a prototype of a hypersonic vehicle attached to the fuselage.

It is the largest aircraft in the world due to its wingspan of 116 meters from tip to tip of its wings. Stratolaunch took off from Mojave Air and Space Port In California, hundreds of people observed it, amazed at the sheer size of the plane.

At speeds up to 850 km per hourIt remained in the air for five hours and six minutes, reaching a maximum altitude of 7,000 metres. The aircraft weighs 227 tons.

It was firmly attached to a tower in the center of its wings Talon-A (TA-0)a reusable test aircraft measuring 8.5 meters in length and capable of carrying payloads at supersonic speed, more than five times the speed of sound.

Thus, the aircraft proved capable of lifting the Talon-A designed for takeoff from the air. It was First flight with cargo attached between his body.

“We have conducted a variety of ground tests prior to this first captive transport flight, and with each successful test achievement, we have built confidence that Devices will work Exactly how it was designed. Zachary Crevor, Head of Stratolaunch. “It’s exciting to see the hard work of the team come to life and the vehicles fly as an integrated system,” he added.

The wingspan of the Stratolaunch is 116 meters larger than the dimensions of a football field, but from arc to arc. It was developed by a company of the same name founded in 2011 by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. They are targeting full operational capacity in mid to late 2023.

Once you turn it on, The idea is to use it to launch hypersonic flight research vehicles Reusable for paying customers.

Allen died at the age of 65 in October 2018, less than a year before the Stratolaunch first flew. When Stratolaunch was founded in 2011, the project was initially estimated to cost about $300,000,000, but before the outbreak of the pandemic. These costs have already increased to $400,000,000. According to CNBC.

“Today’s successful flight demonstrates and demonstrates improvements in transport aircraft systems and overall flight performance,” he said. Zachary CrevorPresident and Chief Operating Officer of Stratolaunch.

Stratolaunch has Twin bodies look a lot like a raft, a multi-hull vessel featuring two parallel hills of the same size. It is staffed by three people (pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer) who sit in the right fuselage and steer the aircraft a large distance to the right of the center line..

Until its advent, the world’s largest aircraft was the eight-engine H-4 Hercules of the WWII era, named after ‘Spruce goose’, Developed by an eccentric American billionaire Howard Hughes.