New mega-plane will be bigger than a football pitch
South African-born entrepreneur Elon Musk is one of several partners involved in the building of the largest airplane, which is expected to undergo testing next year. The Stratolaunch plane is being constructed at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California from two Boeing 747s. With a wingspan of 117m, it will transport satellite-carrying rockets.Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's company Stratolaunch and its partners initiated the project to build the oversized aircraft in 2011.The idea is that it will allow rockets to take off even in inclement weather and will save fuel as the satellite will not be blasted off from a standstill. The plane will also be reusable.The Stratolaunch is being constructed from two Boeing 747s.The president of Scaled Composites aerospace company, Kevin Mickey, said that if the plane was on a football field its wingtips would extend beyond each of the goalposts.The giant plane will need 3657m of runway to take off from, which is between 1500m and 1800m more than commercial airliners.Allen has said he hopes the plane will ultimately make space travel more affordable...
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