World’s Largest Plane Stratolaunch Nearly Ready, Wider Than Football Field

Vulcan Aerospace's Stratolaunch is the biggest plane to be ever made in the world, and it's nearly 76 percent ready. Incidentally, the co-founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen is the founder and chairman of Vulcan Aerospace. The company was set up with the goal of providing affordable and convenient ways to reach space and help with missions and payloads, and the Stratolaunch wants to do just that.

The massive plane will reportedly act as a giant air pad, with the ability to transport a 275 ton rocket and launch it at 35,000 feet.  The flying launch pad will also be used for delivering and releasing satellites in to space, making space access affordable and easy because the Stratolaunch can land, be loaded and take off again. Launching satellites from rockets such as Delta and Atlas are not only cost more but also need massive launch facility, as per reports.

"Stratolaunch's mobile launch range offers many potential benefits over fixed ground launch, including improved responsiveness, enhanced ability to avoid over flight of populated areas, flexibility to avoid inclement weather and streamlined infrastructure to support efficient launch operations," read Vulcan Aerospace website.

The gigantic plane, which can fit an entire football field on its wings with space left for more, has a wingspan of 385 feet and measures 238 feet in length. The Stratolaunch is reportedly made up of the most advanced composite materials which makes, it strong, fuel efficient and strong. The aircraft has six 747 engines and two fuselages, one to carry flight data and another one to carry flight crew.  

Unlike Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic that aims at space tourism and being a small satellite launcher, or Elon Musk's SpaceX that is focusing on flying humans to Mars, or Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin that wants to develop reusable and low cost rockets, the Stratolaunch will focus on directly delivering satellites into precise orbits. In fact, the aircraft will be looking at launching a Dream Chaser spaceship that could act as a mini shuttle to conduct a round journey for astronauts or payloads to and from low orbit destinations of Earth.

Stratolaunch is gearing up for completion by the end of this year, according to reports. The aircraft will embark on commercial services by 2020, and Vulcan Aerospace is looking into the prospect of partnerships with rocket companies to provide the launch services of the Stratolaunch.