Stratolaunch Systems Corporation, a company founded by the late Paul G. Allen, completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, the Stratolaunch.
The unique aircraft sports a dual fuselage design with a wingspan longer than that of an American football field. The flight left from and landed at the Mojave Air & Space Port.
The plane saw a maximum speed of 189 mph in the 2.5-hour flight over the Mojave Desert, at altitudes up to 17,000 feet. The inaugural flight saw several tests as the pilots evaluated performance and handling qualities before landing.
“What a fantastic first flight,” said Jean Floyd, CEO, Stratolaunch. “Today’s flight furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground launched systems. We are incredibly proud of the Stratolaunch team, today’s flight crew, our partners at Northrup Grumman’s Scaled Composites and the Mojave Air and Space Port.”
“We all know Paul would have been proud to witness today’s historic achievement,” said Jody Allen, chair, Vulcan Inc., and trustee, Paul G. Allen Trust. “The aircraft is a remarkable engineering achievement and we congratulate everyone involved.”
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