Space News by Jeff Foust — April 13, 2019
The giant aircraft built by Stratolaunch to serve as an air-launch platform made its first flight April 13 amid questions about the future of the venture.
The aircraft, the largest in the world by wingspan, took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 9:58 a.m. Eastern. The plane flew for two and a half hours before landing back in Mojave, reaching a top speed of 278 kilometers per hour and altitude of 4,570 meters.
Evan Thomas, the Scaled Composites test pilot who flew the plane, said the flight went very well. “I honestly could not have hoped for more on a first flight, especially of an airplane of this complexity and this uniqueness,†he said in a brief media call after the flight.
More:
https://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-plane-makes-first-flight/
