The world’s largest aircraft will now test hypersonics for the military

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  The Stratolaunch vehicle, the world's largest aircraft, took flight for the first and only time in April, 2019. [credit: Stratolaunch ]

Nearly a decade ago, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen founded Stratolaunch to build an aircraft capable of launching orbital rockets. At the time, the company's leadership included a host of luminous spaceflight officials, including former NASA chief Mike Griffin, who said the Stratolaunch aircraft "would make a very effective launcher."

Initially, the company planned to launch rockets built by SpaceX. But over time, the company's plans changed to fly Pegasus rockets built by Orbital ATK. Eventually, Stratolaunch dropped this idea and announced that it was developing its own line of rockets.

Alas, the aircraft never did prove to be an effective launcher. In fact, what became the world's largest airplane took flight just one time, in April, 2019. The Stratolaunch plane reached speeds above 300km/h and heights of 5km during its 150-minute test flight before landing safely at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

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