The aircraft has a longer wingspan than the upcoming soccer field

The world's largest aircraft with a wingspan of up to 117m and equipped with six Boeing 747 engines will fly test in early 2017.

Vulcan Aerospace, which is headed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, plans to compete with other space businesses by launching a satellite into orbit from the aircraft. The world's largest Stratolaunch.

Stratolaunch has completed 76% of its fleet at Mojave Aerospace, California, USA. The aircraft is scheduled to be completed later this year, making its first flight test in 2017 and into commercial operation by 2020.

Stratolaunch has a wingspan of 117m, a 72m fuselage, and six Boeing 747s. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 850km / h. It can carry a satellite with a mass of 6,124 kg to orbit the Earth 180-2,000 km.

The size of the Stratolaunch is larger than the H-4 Hercules heavy-duty aircraft produced in 1947 and the world's largest aircraft, the Antonov An-225. This is a cargo aircraft originally built to transport Buran.

Stratolaunch's shape is not the same as its predecessors. Instead of carrying heavy cargo inside a main fuselage, Stratolaunch has two body parts. This is a combination of engines, landing gear, electronic systems and many other components from two Boeing 747s coupled together. The shell is made of light composite material.

The Stratolaunch was designed to carry a rocket and a load of up to 250,000 kilograms, which is equal to SpaceX's Falcon 9 missiles that can be launched from the ground.