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First Look At Stratolaunch, The World’s Largest Airplane

Stratolaunch, the largest airplane in the world.

Stratolaunch just rolled out the world’s largest airplane, capable of carrying loads as heavy as 250,000 kilograms.

Rolling out on top of 28 large wheels and with a 11,735-cm wingspan, the Stratolaunch is the world’s largest airplane. With a total length of 15.24 meter, it requires six of the engines used by the Boeing 747s to lift off.

Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane

While the Stratolaunch has the widest wingspan, the longest jet remains the six-engine Antonov An-225.

Antonov An-225

The Soviet-made Antonov An-225

The Soviet-made Antonov An-225 stands 84-meter long from front to rear, originally designed to carry space shuttles closer to lower Earth orbit.

Stratolaunch, the world's largest airplane from behind

The twin-fuselage (two bodies) airplane is the brainchild of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who hopes that it will be used to lift rockets carrying satellites closer to space.

Stratolaunch as seen standing next it on the ground

The company announced that the aerial beast has left its nest to start fueling tests at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, the first of many tests in the coming months.

Stratolaunch CEO, Jean Floyd, said that they hope to have the big bird up in the sky as early as 2019.

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