It has 2 fuselages, 6 engines and can carry up to 3 rockets under
the wing. The largest aircraft in the world, the Stratolaunch,
holds a ton of other impressive secrets that you are going to discover in this video!
Number 10! Mind-blowing technical features.
The largest aircraft in the world has a wingspan of 117 meters, which is almost twice as much as
that of the almighty 747. It has two identical fuselages with 2 nearly identical cockpits.
The 2 fuselages are held together by what we can call the aircraft’s third wing situated
in the center. This behemoth has an impressive weight of 580 tones carried on the ground by
28 wheels and lifted in the air by 6 Pratt and Whitney engines, the same as those used
for the 747. The total payload the Stratolaunch can lift is a mind-blowing 1,3 million pounds!
Number 9! The purpose of the Stratolaunch.
The largest aircraft in the world was designed to serve as a mobile launching pad for various
rockets carrying small satellites weighing up to 450 kilograms. After reaching its cruising
altitude, the Stratolaunch will release the rockets which will ignite and carry the satellites
to low Earth orbit. The gigantic airplane can carry up to 3 such rockets accommodated under
the central wing in between the 2 fuselages. What makes this aircraft so advantageous is
that it’s literally a mobile launching site for the rockets, preventing the operators
from suffering from the limitations of a fixed launch site, such as bad weather, air traffic,
and ship traffic on the ocean. This ultimately will make space research and exploration much
more cost and time efficient. Is it only me or are we getting into the low-cost space exploration?
Number8! The infrastructure needed for the Stratolaunch.
With a wingspan larger than an American football field, the Stratolaunch cannot just use any
standard airport designed for commercial traffic. In order to build and store the largest airplane
in the world, the manufacturer has made a special custom-made hangar at the Mojave Space and Air
port. That is also where the aircraft made its first taxi tests and where the aircraft departed
for the first time. By the way, the Stratolaunch doesn’t need an exceptionally long runway to take
off. Although it has dimensions like no other aircraft on the planet, it needs pretty much
the same runway length to take off and land as any existing commercial airplane, about 3700 meters.
Number 7! The 2 cockpits mystery.
One might wonder how is the Stratolaunch actually flown by the pilots when there’re 2 cockpits.
In reality, the 2 flight crew members sit in the right fuselage and that’s the only place
they can access all the instruments and flight controls. The left-hand side is a dummy cockpit
and is not even pressurized as it contains the avionics and some flight data systems.
Number 6! A Boeing 747 pilot can fly the Stratolaunch
Well not exactly, as it’s a completely different type, but a 747 pilot will find a lot of
familiarities with the jumbo jet when entering the Stratolaunch cockpit. To reduce production costs,
many elements have been added from old retired 747s. Besides the 6 Pratt and Whitney 4056
engines, the largest aircraft in the world was gifted with other 747 features such as
the hydraulic system and actuators, the avionics, the electrical system, and the flight controls.
Number 5! It has bearly flown.
Since the start of the project in 2011, the largest aircraft in the world has only
flown 7 times. Delays in the project didn’t allow the Stratolaunch to be more active.
During its first flight in April 2019, the huge airplane had nicely flown for
a maneuvering test flight where the crew experienced for the first time
how it feels to handle the enormous machine. The latest flight was on the 16th of June 2022 which
lasted for 3 hours and where the Stratolaunch broke its altitude record by reaching 27000ft.
Number 4! The nickname.
The largest aircraft in the world also has a nickname. The Stratolaunch is also called the Roc,
it has nothing to do with Dwayne the Rock Johnson even though it could be relevant since he’s also
a very solid and tough guy. In reality, it refers to Sinbad’s Roc, which is a mythical bird so big
that it could carry an elephant. The nickname couldn’t be more on point for the Stratolaunch.
Number 3! The company was almost bought for 1$.
The company has spent hundreds of millions since its start in 2011 with the first flight
being only 6 years later. We cannot call this a financial success. After the death of Paul Allen,
the Microsoft co-founder and the owner of the Stratolaunch program, the company struggled to
keep its momentum and continue the project. The company was already scaling back and laying off
employees. In June 2018, the company was listed for sale with a price tag of $400 million,
which triggered Richard Brandson, the Virgin Galactic owner to make a counter offer of just $1.
Number 2! You can work on the Stratolaunch.
The company currently has over 40 open positions to be taken by adequately qualified professionals.
They’re even looking for test pilots on what they can proudly call the largest
aircraft in the world. Obviously, there’s a set of requirements you will need to have,
and most probably a load of experience in the applied department, but who knows, maybe you’re
a right fit for them. Just imagine the feeling of working on the most massive airplane in the world!
Before getting to the last amazing fact about the Stratolaunch,
make sure to hit that like button and subscribe to our channel!
Number 1! The first ever satellite launch.
The Stratolaunch focus is the latest hypersonic vehicle prototype, the Talon A. The shuttle-like
rocket is still under development for hypersonic missions, but the company expects the first flight
for as early as 2023. They are also designing the second and the third prototype of this kind,
becoming the first reusable hypersonic test vehicles that will undoubtedly revolutionize
space missions. Besides, developments will also be made to accommodate passengers on such vehicles,
either for the first space scheduled commercial flights or test missions on the Earth’s orbit.
Thanks for watching and I’ll see you in the next one!