World’s biggest plane and the dream project of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, Stratolaunch is for sale. The cost of the plane has been set to be $400 million by the holding company Vulcan Inc. reported an anonymous spokesperson.
Stratolaunch is the only biggest plane in the world and is manufactured by Stratolaunch Systems, a company founded by Paul Allen, after eight years of research and production process. It was a dream of Paul Allen to build a 5,00,000 pound plane, and noticeably, it has not even been two months when the plane took its first and only flight.
Based in the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, the giant aeroplane has a 385-foot wingspan, six engines, 28 wheels and has a capability to fly up to an altitude of 35,000 feet. The plane has been manufactured as a flying launchpad for rockets from where they can self lunch themselves, from the air to space. The plane had successfully completed its first flight in April, where it flew for over 150 minutes and reached an altitude of 15000 feet at a speed of 189mph.
According to the sources, Vulcan is already in talks with the British billionaire and the founder of Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, about selling the plane. Another potential buyer for the plane includes Northrop Grumman, the company that is in an agreement with Stratolaunch to provide rockets for the plane’s air-launch operation. Though there have been no comments on the matter from either party as yet.
Along with the plane, the company would also be giving away the intellectual property and Mojave facilities to the buyer. But a price equal to $400 million is a big amount, and it seems even bigger when the scope of the success of the plane is unclear. Since there has been no such planes or such services, that can convince the buyers with the profits it may gain, it is natural for them to be sceptical about buying it.
Yashica is a Software Engineer turned Content Writer, who loves to write on social causes and expertise in writing technical stuff. She loves to watch movies and explore new places. She believes that you need to live once before you die. So experimenting with her life and career choices, she is trying to live her life to the fullest.