Stratolaunch: World's biggest plane with 6 Boeing 747 engines completes successful three-hour test flight

The world's biggest airplane – longer than an American football field and with a wingspan of three Boeing 747s – completed its second test flight from Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Built by Stratolaunch, the plane named Roc – with a wingspan of 117 metres and powered by 6 Boeing 747 engines – is being groomed to carry and launch supersonic vehicles high up in the sky. During Thursday's three hour test flight, Roc reached an altitude of 4,267m and a top speed of 320 km/h. "We're very pleased with how the Stratolaunch aircraft performed today, and we are equally excited about how much closer the aircraft is to launching its first hypersonic vehicle," said Zachary Krevor, Stratolaunch chief operating officer, said in a postflight news conference. US army develops new tool to detect deepfakes threatening national security Apple broke competition law, EU says after Spotify complaint'Brain-like device' mimics human learning in major computing breakthrough'Brain-like device' mimics human learning in major computing breakthrough With greater ambitions of "convenient, affordable, and routine" access to space, Roc's successful test flight and immediate vision of carrying supersonic vehicles is a step in the right direction for the company which was established in 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.