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The world's largest aircraft June 5th, 2017

So the leaders in our selection of the MOST MOST are changing. Just recently, the Soviet An-225 Mriya with a wingspan of 88.4 meters was considered the largest aircraft. And now the plane, produced by the aerospace firm Allen Stratolaunch Systems, has the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever built - 385 feet, which is 117.3 m.

It was this figure that allowed the new aircraft to become a champion.

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A few days ago, the aircraft was taken out of the hangar for the first time for refueling tests. In addition, for the first time, the aircraft completely relied on its 28 wheels. This allowed for the first time to fully weigh the finished apparatus. The mass turned out to be approximately 226.8 tons. After that, the company will move on to the stage of ground and flight tests. It is said that this will happen in the coming weeks and months.

At the same time, the length reaches 72.5 m, and the height is 15.2 m. The maximum take-off weight reaches 590 tons. The device is lifted into the air by six Boeing 747-400 engines.

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Recall, Stratolaunch - the brainchild of Stratolaunch Systems, founded by Paul Allen (Paul Allen) and Burt Rutan (Burt Rutan).

Paul Allen founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975 and left in 1983, selling most of his stake, and now invests in space projects.

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As for the first demonstration flight, it is scheduled for 2019. Recall that the aircraft will be used to launch rockets designed to put satellites into orbit.

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It took 6 years to build the aircraft. In 2011, the cost of the project was estimated at $300 million.

Paul Allen has been investing in space projects for a long time. One of the most famous is the suborbital manned reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne, which was built as part of the space tourism program. The ship was first launched in 2003.

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This is a new approach to spaceflight that is reminiscent of testing the X-plane in the 1950s and 1960s.

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And what do you think? To what extent is this a potentially viable launch option for missiles?

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