Stratolaunch carrier aircraft
| Stratolaunch carrier aircraft | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Artist's depiction of Stratolaunch carrier at apogee, just before launching spacecraft (center vehicle) into orbit. | |
| Role | Space Launch Carrier |
| National origin | United States of America |
| Manufacturer | Scaled Composites |
| First flight | projected for 2016 |
| Status | In development |
| Number built | 1 |
The Scaled Composites Model 351 (nicknamed the "Roc") is being built for Stratolaunch Systems to provide a platform from which air-launch space missions can be staged. With a wingspan of 117 m (385 ft), the design has the longest wingspan of any airplane to date (July 2015).
In August 2015, Scaled Composites president Kevin Mickey stated the company has so far assembled "roughly 200,000 pounds of composite structure" for the vehicle and if put on an American football field, "its wingtips would extend beyond the goalposts by 15 feet on each side."
Each of the twin fuselages of the aircraft is 238 feet (72 metres) long and will be supported by 12 main landing gear wheels and two nose gear wheels, for a total of 28 wheels. It will require 12,000 feet of runway to lift-off.
The air-launch altitude is planned for about 35,000 feet, according to Chuck Beams of Vulcan Aerospace, a company owned by Paul Allen which oversees the project. As of June 2016, the project is 76% complete. Payload is noted as in excess of 500,000 pounds.
As of November 2015, the rocket or payload for the mega aircraft has not been publicly announced, after two previous plans—SpaceX Falcon 9 Air and Orbital ATK Pegasus II rocket design concepts—had been shelved.
As of October 2016 "Orbital ATK will supply multiple Pegasus XL rockets for Stratolaunch to mount underneath the company’s huge carrier aircraft currently under construction in Mojave, California" (see ref #20, below).
The project was started nearly a year prior to the December 2011 public announcement. Dynetics began work in early 2011, and had approximately 40 employees working on the project at the time of the announcement, as of December 2011[update]. SpaceX efforts began only shortly prior to the public announcement.
In January 2012, Stratolaunch CEO Gary Wentz made it explicit that Stratolaunch would name the carrier aircraft only later. The "mothership is currently known only by its Scaled model number: M351."
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