SpaceX's Stratolaunch To Launch People Into Space

In the race of developing spacecraft to deliver cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan have come together on a mission to build the world's largest plane that would be capable of carrying people and cargo into space. The last time these both names collaborated was in 2004 on the experimental SpaceShipOne, which became the first privately financed, manned spacecraft to enter into space.

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The aircraft will be built by Rutan on six 747 engines. It will have a wingspan of 380 feet, the world's largest. With wings larger than a football field and a twin-fuselage at the core, the aircraft kills the need for a launchpad or additional rocket fuel. This saves a good deal of money by avoiding usage of rocket fuel. Instead a space capsule will be attached to the belly of the plane with its own booster rocket. This capsule will break away into orbit after the plane climbs high into the atmosphere. The spaceship and booster will be provided by Elon Musk of PayPal, who has a successful experience in rocket building.

The first tests on the rocket are scheduled for 2016. Though, the purpose of the rockets is also to carry people, these tests will be unmanned for safety reasons. Allen and Rutan's 'Stratolaunch' will take a minimum of five years before the rocket starts carrying people aboard.

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