Scaled Composites' Stratolaunch, the world's widest plane intended to take rockets to the stratosphere for launch, underwent its first taxi test on a runway in California.

The Model 351 - aka the Stratolaunch - boasts the world's widest wingspan of any plane. Made almost entirely from composite materials, the twin fuselage aircraft will deliver rockets to high altitude so that they can perform a fuel-saving air-launch. The Stratolaunch wingspan is measured at 117 m (385 ft), and each of its two fuselages is 73 m (238 ft) long.

Proposed in the middle of 20th century, the idea of launching rockets in mid-air promised to conserve fuel, since the rocket would not have to fight Earth's gravity by spending a amount chunk of fuel just to get off the ground. Due to various reasons, such projects, both in the US and USSR, have never been widely successful, with Orbital ATK Pegasus, being one of notable exceptions.

Carried by a Lockheed L-1011, Pegasus was successfully launched 40 times between 1990-2016.

Before the new Model 351 Stratolaunch can take its payload into the sky, it must undergo much simpler tests. This time, it rolled its way to the runway of Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The idea was to test the plane's ability to taxi and to move on the ground via its own engines.

Most large aircraft cannot taxi, and require an airport tug to move them around. What might seem like a simple thing, for engineers and test crew becomes a complicated task.

"Multiple systems were monitored throughout the tests, including anti-skid and telemetry in addition to steering and braking. The ground team reported all of these systems operated as expected," Popular Mechanics reported.

"Our crew was able to demonstrate ground directional control with nose gear steering, and our brake systems were exercised successfully on the runway. Our first low speed taxi test is a very important step toward first flight. We are all proud and excited," stated George Bugg, aircraft program manager of Stratolaunch Systems.

After a series of similar tests, with moving speed gradually increasing, the plane will be ready for its maiden flight, sometime in 2018.

Source: Sputnik News

Tweet

Chinese start-up tests rocket engine
Beijing (XNA) Dec 26, 2017
A Chinese start up successfully tested an engine for its light rocket, which is set to be launched by June 2018. The test was conducted in a test ground in east China's Jiangxi Province on Friday, said Shu Chang, chief executive officer of Beijing-based One Space, on Saturday. The engine uses solid propellants and will power the company's X-series light rockets, Shu said, adding that ... read more

Related Links
Stratolaunch
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only