The world's largest plane will soon be used to launch hypersonic aircraft capable of traveling 6 times the speed of sound

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• Aerospace company Stratolaunch Systems is changing its mission and developing hypersonic aircraft that aims to reimagine spaceflight and long-distance travel. 
• The company has successfully built and flown a carrier aircraft, the Stratolaunch, to which hypersonic aircraft will be affixed and deployed from while airborne.
• At 385 feet wide, the Stratolaunch is the largest plane in terms of wingspan capable of carrying multiple hypersonic vehicles at a time. 
• The smallest hypersonic aircraft, the Talon-A, which can travel six times the speed of sound is currently in development. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The world's largest aircraft has a new mission, facilitating hypersonic travel. 

Spaceflight-oriented aerospace company Stratolaunch Systems announced that its flagship aircraft, a six-engine carrier ship with two fuselages, will be a launch and test pad for the hypersonic vehicles of the future.

"Our hypersonic testbeds will serve as a catalyst in sparking a renaissance in hypersonic technologies for our government, the commercial sector, and academia," said Jean Ford, Stratolaunch's CEO, in a statement on the company's website.

Departing from its initial intention of launching satellites from the aircraft, according to Space.com, Stratolaunch will shift to developing rocket-powered aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier multiple times over. The aircraft will launch while airborne from what is currently the world's largest aircraft in terms of wingspan.

While supersonic aircraft have already been conquered by man, as seen with the legendary Concorde and SR-71 Blackbird, the hypersonic field is still relatively new with few recent advancements. A viable commercial hypersonic aircraft would have the capability of transforming spaceflight, making it more accessible, as well as possibly reshaping long-distance travel on Earth.

Taking a page from SpaceX's book, the hypersonics will be reusable and be able to return safely to the surface following each mission. The first aircraft to be deployed will collect valuable data and research the effects of hypersonic flight will future aircraft will have the ability to transport cargo and passengers.

Take a look at how Stratolaunch's newest focus has the ability to reshape high-speed travel and spaceflight as we know it.

Stratolaunch Systems is the brainchild of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, who started the company in 2011.

Gene Blevins/Reuters

Source: Stratolaunch Systems

The original idea for the company was to use flying launchpad aircraft to launch satellites and other space-bound vehicles, as well as facilitating the collection of data on spaceflight.

Gene Blevins/Reuters

Source: Space.com

Departing from the traditional notion of launching from the surface, Stratolaunch helped pioneer the idea for airborne launches using flying launchpads.

Gene Blevins/Reuters


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