Stratolaunch First Flight
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen started Stratolaunch in 2011 with the goal of launching payloads into space from an airborne platform. Allen passed away from cancer in October of 2018, and on April 13, 2019, the Stratolaunch — the largest airplane ever to fly — made its maiden flight. With a wingspan of 385 feet and a maximum weight of 1.2 million pounds, the Stratolaunch is about to usher in a new era of spaceflight.