The world's biggest airplane has been shown to reporters in the United States. The plane, called Stratolaunch, is set to begin testing in the coming weeks.
Stratolaunch weighs about 227,000 kilograms. It has the largest wingspan of any aircraft ever built. It measures 117 meters from one end to the other. The plane has been kept inside a building in the California desert while being built. It was removed from its home, at the Mojave Air & Space Port, and shown to reporters on Wednesday. To support its size and weight, Stratolaunch has 28 wheels. The plane can hold more than 113,000 kilograms of fuel. It is powered by six engines made for Boeing 747 aircraft.
The plane was built for Stratolaunch Systems, a business owned by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen. Allen started the company in 2011 with the hope of building aircraft to launch rockets into space. Allen says he first became excited about space exploration after watching Russia's Yuri Gagarin become the first man to travel to space in 1961.
Stratolaunch Systems said the plane's airport-style launch system and ability to launch rockets over and over again will reduce costs for satellite companies. The plane will also cut wait times between launches and is able to avoid bad weather areas, the company said. The aircraft is to begin fuel, ground and flight line tests in the coming weeks. The first actual launch demonstration is not expected before 2019.
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