South Asian Gazette Worldwide News Work
World’s biggest airplane, Stratolaunch, attempted its next test flight. The colossal appearing as a fabulous white passenger plane, isn’t destined to transport passengers.
However, the twin fuselage airpad is a good news bearer in other capacities and it includes allowing payloads to reach space faster and at a lower cost than existing technologies.
It is reported that Stratolaunch will offer quick and precise satellite positioning, a service that will set it apart from competitors.
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has destined it to act as a mini-shuttle to reach low Earth orbit destinations and return astronauts or payloads to a runway within 24 hours and possibly launch a Dream Chaser spaceship.
With its wings stretching to 385-foot, Stratolaunch stands 50 feet tall – weighing approximately 500,000 pounds without any cargo, and it is designed to carry a maximum takeoff weight of 1.3 million pounds.
Designed and built by Northrop Grumman Corp’s Scaled Composites, the six engine craft takes different engines found in Boeing 747, each weighing 8,940lbs (4,000kg).
The aircraft has performed taxi speed of 40 knots so far but it is yet to be slated off when the aircraft will be fully operational. Meanwhile, Representatives will continue conducting taxi tests at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.
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).
