The giant plane flew over the Mojave Desert, California.
aOn April 13, 2019, the XXL Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch, nicknamed “Roc” (after a bird from Persian and Arab mythology) took off on its maiden flight. Since then, Stratolaunch Systems, founded by Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft, born January 21 1953, October 15 2018) has continued to work on its gigantic plane and has conducted tests on the ground in order to prepare for the next step – stopping. On Thursday, April 29, 2021, it was time: around 7:30 a.m. local time, the giant carrier plane took off in bright sunlight and flew over the Mojave Desert in California. Stratolaunch Systems posted some videos and photos on Twitter? Which shows what big thing is going off there.
Stratolaunch: Several hours in the air
According to the American Journal of TechnologyJake WireRock reached an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,267 meters) and a speed of 199 miles per hour (320 km / h), and stayed in the air for three hours and 14 minutes, leading its first flight: 2019 Rock. It flew about two and a half hours. Complete success: After the test flight, Zachary Crevor (Chief Operating Officer, Stratolaunch Systems) announced at a conference that all of today’s goals have been met and that the data collected has been used to further improve ROC.
Stratolaunch: What do XXL transport?
As you might already assume, the mega aircraft was not designed to carry passengers, but is used to transport bombers to low Earth orbit. From there, they should then start in space. But there is still a long way to go: More test flights and FAA approval are needed.
