The 'behemoth' aircraft that could launch rockets into space

The Stratolaunch would have a wingspan longer than a football field, weigh more than 1.2 million pounds, and potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars

This massive, in-development carrier plane would take off on a 12,000-foot runway and fly into the stratosphere, where it would launch rockets into orbit.
(Image credit: 2011 Stratolaunch Systems Inc.)

Houston, we have a big one. Engineers are now developing the largest aircraft ever flown — dubbed the "Stratolaunch" — thanks to a partnership of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, aerospace guru Burt Rutan, and the company SpaceX. The ambitious venture, which may cost hundreds of millions of dollars, would result in a "behemoth" carrier airplane weighing more than 1.2 million pounds, with a wingspan of more than 380 feet — longer than a football field. Its mission? To launch spaceships into orbit. (Watch a video demo below.) Here, a guide to the massive undertaking:

How would this work?

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