The late Paul Allen was one of the co-founders of the tech giant Microsoft. He moved on to other ventures, and he is having success with the company he created called Stratolaunch Systems Corp. This week, the company saw the successful first flight of its experimental aircraft called Roc.
Roc is billed as the world’s largest plane. It is completely white, and it has a wingspan of approximately 100 yards. The aircraft has a twin fuselage construction, and power for the aircraft is supplied by six jet engines.
The aircraft took off on its maiden flight from the Mojave Air and Space Port. During the course of its two-hour flight, Roc reached a top speed of 189 miles per hour. Roc was able to reach an altitude of 17,000 feet, and the plane stayed in the air for about two hours. At the conclusion of the flight, Roc was able to successfully land back at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
The Roc aircraft is not being designed to fly passengers. The aircraft is being developed in order to serve as an in-air launch port for rockets that will launch satellites into orbit. It is hoped by Stratolaunch that the plane will serve as a more cost-effective alternative to the land-based launches that are being used by private companies such as SpaceX.
According to its designers, the Roc aircraft is capable of drop launching rockets that weigh as much as 500,000 pounds. While the initial flight only saw the plane fly to 17,000 feet, the aircraft is designed to reach an altitude of up to 35,000 feet.
More tests are in the works for the Roc before it actually takes a rocket into the air for a test launch. The scientists who are working on the project believe that a rocket launch will not take place until sometime in 2020.
