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[Kadin]

This thing is a beast. At first glance, I have to wonder how in the hell the middle part connecting the two main units will be strong enough during high winds and turbulence to not somehow get ripped apart.

Trying to find some footage of it taking off, landing or in the air but I guess there is none as of yet. This thing is pretty damn impressive.

Stratolaunch, founded in 2011 by Paul G. Allen, is developing an air-launch platform to make access to space more convenient, reliable, and routine. We believe that normalizing access to low Earth orbit (LEO) has the potential to redefine our lives by creating more opportunities for commercial, philanthropic and governmental organizations to collect rich and actionable data and drive advancements in science, research, and technology from space.

Learn more about Paul Allen's vison for space here.

Stratolaunch is the world's largest aircraft by wingspan and is the largest all-composite plane ever built. Utilizing six Boeing 747 engines for a payload capacity of over 500,000 lbs. and an operational range of approximately 2,000 nautical miles, Stratolaunch is capable of delivering payloads to multiple orbits and inclinations in a single mission.

Stratolaunch's reusability and air-launch capabilities enable us to take an airport-style approach to operations for launch services. Stratolaunch will take off from a runway, rather than a logistically vulnerable fixed range, which allows us to avoid hazards such as inclement weather, airborne traffic and heavy marine activity. Stratolaunch's airborne launch platform significantly reduces the risk of costly delays or cancellations.

Stratolaunch is currently under construction at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, Calif. We aim to be fully operational by the end of this decade.

http://www.stratolaunch.com/

 

[830920]

I was expecting the butt plane.

 

[riotous]

No mention of Paul Allen? DIdn't he pay to have this built?

He deserves a mention in the OP IMO.

Stratolaunch, founded in 2011 by Paul G. Allen, is developing an air-launch platform to make access to space more convenient, reliable, and routine. We believe that normalizing access to low Earth orbit (LEO) has the potential to redefine our lives by creating more opportunities for commercial, philanthropic and governmental organizations to collect rich and actionable data and drive advancements in science, research, and technology from space.

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

Looks like the kind of plane James Bond would fight the villain's main henchman on top of.

 

[Kadin]

No mention of Paul Allen? DIdn't he pay to have this built?

He deserves a mention in the OP IMO.

It's on the main page of the link but I'll include it in the OP.

 

[A-V-B]

So what's the founding necessity of this plane?

 

[riotous]

It's on the main page of the link but I'll include it in the OP.

Cool!

So what's the founding necessity of this plane?

Low earth orbit travel:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tackling-space-challenge-paul-g-allen

 

[Bit-Bit]

Nah, that's just two airplanes duct taped together.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

That's literally two planes glued together.

 

[Gallbaro]

So what's the founding necessity of this plane?

You save a lot of Delta V by launching at 30,000 ft vs ground level.

 

[cameron]

So what's the founding necessity of this plane?

The Stratolaunch system is part of Allen's plan to lower the cost of access to space through reusability. Vulcan has released few details about the launcher's capacity, but in October it did announce a partnership with Orbital ATK by which the Dulles, Virginia-based company would provide "multiple" Pegasus XL air-launch vehicles for use with the Stratolaunch aircraft. These rockets can launch small satellites weighing up to 1,000 pounds into low Earth orbit. With this concept and capacity, Stratolaunch is competing with companies such as Virgin Orbit, which plans to launch rockets from a modified Boeing 747-400.

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...s-new-rocket-launching-plane-today-it-is-big/

 

[commedieu]

laughable man.

What happens if the pilots don't agree on shit?

 

[wandering]

So what's the founding necessity of this plane?

The hardest part about launching a rocket is getting it out of the atmosphere. This can make it easier.

 

[j_k_redtail]

Nah, that's just two airplanes duct taped together.

Now they're unstoppable.

 

[Kadin]

laughable man.

What happens if the pilots don't agree on shit?

"I thought you said make a left descent. Shit."

Seriously though, does it look incredibly... frail... to anyone else?

 

[SwiftDeath]

Barrel rolls in that thing are going to be truly nerve-wracking

 

[depths20XX]

That's cheating. They just glued two planes together.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

The kicker, only one side has a bathroom.

 

[Frozenprince]

"I thought you said make a left descent. Shit."

Seriously though, does it look incredibly... frail... to anyone else?

Not even trying to ape on the joke of the thread, but it does legitimately look like they just glued two planes together.

 

[Bold One]

no windows? really?

 

[wenis]

Do the pilots have to "drift" to fly this thing?

 

[Popstar]

.

 

[R10Neymarfan]

laughable man.

What happens if the pilots don't agree on shit?

I bet the endgame is automation with manual override when needed in emergency

 

[HStallion]

laughable man.

What happens if the pilots don't agree on shit?

Just play some classical music.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Nah, that's just two airplanes duct taped together.

Sure, but how many GameCubes does that convert to?

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

 

[commedieu]

I bet the endgame is automation with manual override when needed in emergency

Probably right....

..fucking obama.

 

[DiscoJer]

That looks like it would break in two very easily. The P-38 had the tails connected as well.

 

[Dryk]

The thing that you have to remember is that a plane is a wing with a fuselage attached to it and not the other way around.