WORLDS LARGEST PLANE MAKES FIRST FLIGHT TEST

Prelims level : Science & Technology Mains level : GS-III Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
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Why in News?

  • The world’s largest aircraft took off over the Mojave Desert in California on Saturday, the first flight for the carbon-composite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp.

Details:

  • The mega jet carried out its maiden voyage over the Mojave Desert. It is designed to carry into space, and drop, a rocket that would in turn ignite to deploy satellites. It is supposed to provide a more flexible way to deploy satellites than vertical takeoff rockets because this way all you need is a long runway for takeoff.
  • The aircraft is so big its wing span is longer than a football field, or about 1.5 times that of an Airbus A380 Specifically, the wing span is 117 meters; that of an Airbus A380 is just under 80. It hit a top speed of 304 kilometres per hour (189 mph) and reached an altitude of 17,000 feet, or 5,182 metres.
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