[ad_1]
The largest aircraft in the world made its first test flight Saturday in California.
The mega-jet, called Roc, which has the same wingspan as an American football field and is powered by six engines on a twin fuselage, made its maiden voyage into the Mojave Desert shortly before 7:00 am ET. Pacific (14:00 GMT).
The aircraft, built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp, remained in the air for more than two hours, reaching a top speed of 304 km / h and reached an altitude of 5,182 m.
It landed safely at the air and space port of Mojave under the applause of a crowd of hundreds of people.
"What a fantastic first flight," said Stratolaunch's general manager, Jean Floyd, in a statement posted on the company's website.
"Today's flight continues our mission of providing a flexible alternative to ground systems," Floyd said.
"We are extremely proud of the Stratolaunch team, the flight crew of today, our Northrup Grumman Scaled Composites partners and the Mojave air and space port", he added.
 |
| Built by the company of the late Paul Allen, Stratolaunch Systems, the aircraft made its first test flight in the Mojave Desert on April 13th. [Gene Blevins/Reuters] |
Stratolaunch was created in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who pbaded away last October. The company aims to make access to the orbit more affordable and accessible by launching satellites in space from aircraft rather than from the ground.
"We all know that Paul would have been proud to witness the historic success of today." The aircraft is a remarkable technical achievement and we congratulate everyone involved, "said the airline. sister of billionaire Jody Allen, who also chairs her philanthropic foundation.
[ad_2]
Source link
