Stratolaunch plane to launch satellites completes taxi test

The Stratolaunch, the world’s largest aircraft based on its 117-meter wingspan, has achieved a taxi speed of 74 km/h during runway tests. This brings the aircraft one step closer to a test flight and the launch of satellites from the air.

The six-engine plane achieved this top speed during a test at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. This brings the plane of the company Stratolaunch Systems, founded by Microsoft founder Paul Allen, one step closer to an actual test flight, which will probably take place sometime in 2019. Tests have already taken place in 2017 with a lower taxi speed and the six engines were started for the first time.

Testing the speed when taxiing is not unimportant, as the huge plane needs a runway with a length of at least 3.7 kilometers. Including a rocket, which is mounted under the middle wing section between the two fuselages and intended for launching satellites, the Stratolaunch weighs about 540,000 kg. The aircraft can lift a total payload of up to 230,000 kg, after which, for example, a Pegasus XL rocket from Orbital ATK can transport a payload to space.

The idea is that the rocket is brought to an altitude of 10 kilometers, after which it is fired. This should be a cheaper way to get satellites into low Earth orbit than through a regular launch from a launch vehicle like SpaceX’s Falcon 9. This idea of ​​performing aerial launches with a modified aircraft is not new; there are more companies working on this, such as Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit.