It is the largest ever built aircraft: The “Roc” of the company STRATO launch is lifted to its first test flight. Of him will be the launch carrier rocket into space.
With the plane of the “Roc” has been tested in the Mojave desert in the U.S. state of California, the largest yet built machine for the first time. The two and a half hour flight went smoothly. The type of aircraft will in future offer an Alternative for rocket launches in the space.
For the “Roc” were also installed in parts of the old Boeing-747.
117-Meter wingspan
To the life of the project in October, the dead Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had called. Built the machine in the order of the STRATO launch Systems Cooperations. The aircraft consisting of two hulls, it has six engines and a wingspan of 117 meters.
When the first test flight of the “Roc”, named after a giant bird of the Arabian fable world, reached a height of 5000 meters and a top speed of 300 kilometers per hour – a “fantastic” result, such as STRATO-launch-in-chief Jean Floyd tweeted after landing.
an Alternative to the missile launch from the ground
Plan for the future is that in such aircraft, up to three launchers can be attached, which should start from altitudes of more than 10,000 meters. Such a variant would be, according to the STRATO launch much cheaper and independent of the weather as a takeoff from the ground.
