Stratolaunch aerial launch platform launches first flight
Stratolaunch Systems took the first confident step towards launching launch vehicles from an air platform: its brainchild, the giant Stratolaunch, made its first flight.
The type and size of the aircraft cannot but impress even the most experienced specialist in the aircraft industry: two 73-meter fuselages are connected by a 117-meter-long wing.
The giant plane is powered by six Pratt & Whitney engines. They allow 590 tons of weight to be lifted into the air: this is how much the Stratolaunch will weigh with the launch vehicle on board.
The weight of the aircraft is 250 tons. Takeoff and landing provide a chassis of 28 wheels. Without refueling, the platform can be in the air for up to 10 hours. During the first test flight, the aircraft developed a top speed of 304,17 kilometers and gained altitude of more than 5 kilometers.
According to the design plan, Stratolaunch should lift the Pegasus XL launch vehicle to a height of 9 thousand meters and from there discharge it, after which the rocket engines should put it into orbit. It is envisaged that the air platform will be able to lift three launch vehicles at once.
Recall that the Pegasus XL launch vehicles are designed to launch satellites into orbit.
The type and size of the aircraft cannot but impress even the most experienced specialist in the aircraft industry: two 73-meter fuselages are connected by a 117-meter-long wing.
The giant plane is powered by six Pratt & Whitney engines. They allow 590 tons of weight to be lifted into the air: this is how much the Stratolaunch will weigh with the launch vehicle on board.
The weight of the aircraft is 250 tons. Takeoff and landing provide a chassis of 28 wheels. Without refueling, the platform can be in the air for up to 10 hours. During the first test flight, the aircraft developed a top speed of 304,17 kilometers and gained altitude of more than 5 kilometers.
According to the design plan, Stratolaunch should lift the Pegasus XL launch vehicle to a height of 9 thousand meters and from there discharge it, after which the rocket engines should put it into orbit. It is envisaged that the air platform will be able to lift three launch vehicles at once.
Recall that the Pegasus XL launch vehicles are designed to launch satellites into orbit.
Information