Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen died of complications from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2018, but his legacy has just been amplified beyond his role in creating world-conquering computers and software.
The monster plane rocks a “dual fuselage design” according to his company’s press release, and its astonishing wingspan is wider than a football field. It took off from the Mojave Air and Space Port the evening of Saturday April 13 and took a 2.5 hour trip that reached up to an altitude of 17,000 feet.
During the test run, Stratolaunch pilots put their behemoth through its paces, checking out its performance capability. There weren’t any loop-de-loops involved, we’re pretty sure, but getting something that massive to move at all without rocket fuel is likely still a big accomplishment.
Which means it’s possible that you’re looking at the future of space travel—launching from a “mobile platform” that will provide easy airline-like entry to space travel. The overall goal of Stratolaunch is to make space access an affordable, everyday thing.
“The aircraft is a remarkable engineering achievement,” Allen continued, “and we congratulate everyone involved.”