The largest airplane on Earth!

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A few days ago, what is considered the largest airplane on Earth made its second flight.

The Stratolaunch aircraft!



Video of the first flight of the Stratolaunch aircraft.

This aircraft is developed by the company with the same name, Stratolaunch. From what I have been able to find of information, this aircraft is one of three modules that make up a mobile launch system that this company is developing. The company after that first flight in 2019, two years ago now, underwent a change of ownership process and it was thought that the project would no longer be completed but it seems that those thoughts were wrong.

The Stratolaunch aircraft flew again.



Video of the second flight of the Stratolaunch aircraft.

With a wingspan of 117 and a weight of 520 tons (including fuel), the Stratolaunch aircraft can carry up to approximately 230 tons. Of course, in order to reach the speed required to lift that much weight, it needs a runway at least 3.2 kilometers long.

That's really impressive!


Stratolaunch comparison

Image Credit

By the way! I can't forget to say that Stratolaunch company was allied with Space X and Elon Musk at some point in the early 2010s but the partnership dissolved in 2012 due to certain difference of interests.


Elon Musk

Image Credit

And well, after all the excitement about this flight I have to say something. I always imagined that in the year 2021 it would be normal to have flying cars and all the things I saw when I was a kid in "The Jetsons".


I must not say that I am disappointed (well a little bit yes) but I realize (once again) that the technological and scientific development is not as fast as sometimes we can imagine and to achieve the simplest thing can take up to hundreds of years and more. But if what we have in 2021 is a huge airplane soaring through the air ... I'm not complaining. It's what we have and I'm still amazed.

Did you know about the Stratolaunch plane? Did you also share my vision of a world in the year 2021 in the style of "The Jetsons"?



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15 comments
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At the time of this announcement, Stratolaunch company also displayed the Hadley liquid rocket engine to be installed and tested in Stratolaunch’s under-construction propulsion test facility

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Thanks for commenting on this detail. As far as I know, they are also building a supersonic commercial plane.

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What in the world... that is insane. I've got a scenario stuck in my mind now of the two pilots in one of the cockpits just saying fuck it, let's send the plane into a spin, lol.


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What in the world... that is insane.

I'm sure you prefer the Jetsons briefcase flying car like me :D

I've got a scenario stuck in my mind now of the two pilots in one of the cockpits just saying fuck it, let's send the plane into a spin, lol.

And now I can not stop thinking about this :)


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I hope I'm still alive when those briefcase cars appear (in this day and age I have no doubts someone will make one, lol.

I've never seen that film before but it looks hilarious, lol. I'll give it a proper watch.


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I've never seen that film before but it looks hilarious, lol. I'll give it a proper watch.

I forget that you are younger than me ... or that I am older than you (better😋😂). The film is called "Airplane!" and it's from 1980. A Leslie Nielsen comedy.

I hope I'm still alive when those briefcase cars appear (in this day and age I have no doubts someone will make one, lol.

Same hope here but 20 years ago ... now not so much anymore 😅


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or that I am older than you (better😋😂)

It always sounds the opposite depending on who says it, lol.


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Wow, this thing is impressive, and kind of weird looking too. So much so that I had to quickly research twin-fuselage aircrafts. So, thanks for that!
I agree, where are the flying cars?? At the same time, even if it sounds cliche, technological innovations seem to be really accelerating. Maybe there is still hope 😉

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Wow, this thing is impressive, and kind of weird looking too. So much so that I had to quickly research twin-fuselage aircrafts.

I understand you perfectly! The same thing happened to me when I saw the video the first time. This thing is massive!

I agree, where are the flying cars?? At the same time, even if it sounds cliche, technological innovations seem to be really accelerating. Maybe there is still hope 😉

I have no hope of that after more than 40 years of waiting 😋 it's difficult.


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