Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has announced plans to build the world’s largest plane in an effort to create a replacement for the retired US space shuttles.<\/p>\n
Through his new company, Stratolaunch Systems, he’s teamed up with Burt Rutan, one of the creators of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipOne, the first privately-funded, manned rocket ship to fly beyond earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n
The plan is to combine the two to create a complete air-launch system.<\/p>\n
“I have long dreamed about taking the next big step in private space flight after the success of SpaceShipOne \u2013 to offer a flexible, orbital space delivery system,” says Allen.<\/p>\n
“We are at the dawn of radical change in the space launch industry. Stratolaunch Systems is pioneering an innovative solution that will revolutionize space travel.”<\/p>\n
The system will have three primary components. A carrier aircraft, developed by Rutan’s company, Scaled Composites, will be the largest aircraft ever flown.<\/p>\n
It’ll be combined with a multi-stage booster, manufactured by Elon Musk\u2019s Space Exploration Technologies and a mating and integration system to be built by Dynetics. This, says the team, will allow the carrier aircraft to safely carry a booster weighing up to 490,000 pounds.<\/p>\n
Allen’s plans call for a first flight within five years.<\/p>\n
Heading the project as president and CEO is Gary Wentz, a former chief engineer at NASA, and former NASA administrator Mike Griffin is a board member<\/p>\n
“We believe this technology has the potential to someday make spaceflight routine by removing many of the constraints associated with ground launched rockets,” says Griffin.<\/p>\n
“Our system will also provide the flexibility to launch from a large variety of locations.”<\/p>\n
Eventually, says the team, the Stratolaunch system will be able to launch manned missions into low earth orbit. Initial efforts, though, will be focused on unmanned payloads.<\/p>\n
The carrier aircraft will operate from a large airport or spaceport, such as Kennedy Space Center, and will be able to fly up to 1,300 nautical miles to the payload\u2019s launch point.<\/p>\n
It will use six 747 engines, and will have a gross weight of more than 1.2 million pounds, with a wingspan of more than 380 feet. It will be built in a Stratolaunch hangar which will soon start to go up at the Mojave Air and Space Port.<\/p>\n
Paul Allen to build private shuttle replacement<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n