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Roc, the Aircraft With Wings Bigger Than a Football Field, Is Back in the Sky

Look! Is it a bird? No. It's the Roc, the world's largest aircraft by wingspan, back at the Mojave Desert runway in California. After a two-year break, the aircraft successfully completed its second test flight. What a beautiful sight to see this behemoth soar to the skies!
Stratolaunch the Roc takes to the sky for a second time 1 photo
Photo: Stratolaunch/Twitter
Stratolaunch Model 351, dubbed the Roc, was developed in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who didn't get to see the aircraft fly for the first time in April 2019. Back then, the carrier reached 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and 189 mph (304 kph) in a two hours and 29 minutes flight.

On Thursday, April 29th, Stratolaunch took to the skies for its second flight test. The Roc spent a bit more time up than the last time, as it touched down after three hours of testing and maneuvering. That's a great accomplishment taking into consideration just how massive this thing is.

To put things into perspective, the wingspan of this carrier reaches 385 feet (about 117 meters). It has a payload capacity of over half a million lbs (227,000 kg) and has an astonishing takeoff weight of 1,200,000 lbs (540,000 kg). In order to withstand such a massive body, Stratolaunch installed 28 wheels and gave it six Boeing 747 engines to propel it into the sky.

The project originally consisted of three main parts: a carrier aircraft designed by Scaled Composites, a multi-stage cargo launch vehicle that was to be launched into space from the underbelly of the carrier at a high altitude, and a Dynetics mating and integration system. The only component to be fully developed so far is the Roc.

Stratolaunch is currently developing a fleet of hypersonic flight vehicles. A reusable, rocket-powered aircraft called Talon-A is planned to go into operation in 2022.
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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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