Aircraft assisted rocket launch - first look at massive 540,000 kg system!

[SvenSvensonov]

Holy cow, it's real! Behold the first glimpse of Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen's crazy space venture: The largest airplane in history, a 385-foot (117-meter) wingspan beast designed to carry and launch a giant rocket to space, with a combined weigh of 1,200,000 pounds (540,000 kg)! Check out the mind-blowing photos.

But first, watch this video to observe the tail sections on the twin fuselage.

Now look at the scale of part of those tail sections compared to the humans in the photos.

And that's only the tail sections! Insane. This graphic compares the Roc—as they call it—with other planes, like the 747-8, the Airbus A-380-800 or the ill-fated Hughes H-4 Spruce Goose.

If you think this will go nowhere, remember that we are talking about Paul Allen—who has more money than needed—and Gary L. Wentz, Jr., the project leader who was the former Chief Engineer of the Science and Mission Systems at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

From First images of the world's largest airplane

540,000 KG is equivalent to launching the mass of this Delta IV medium into LEO:

Mass 249,500-733,400 kg (550,000-1,616,800 lb)

That's a massive aircraft!!!

 

[C130]

insane I wonder how much it'll cost per launch.
i

 

[dropkix]

This actually makes a lot of sense. No messy boosters to retrieve and rebuild after each launch, no external fuel tank either.... If it's a manned mission, lower risk of heat shield related failure too