Microsoft Co-Founder Plans $200 Million Private Spaceflight Venture

By: EW News Desk Team   Date: 14 December 2011

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14 December 2011

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has announced plans to build the world’s largest aircraft, which will serve as a mobile mid-air platform to launch satellites and rocket ships into space.

The 58-year old billionaire’s new company, Stratolaunch Systems Inc, will bring "airport-like operations to the launch of commercial and government payloads and, eventually, human missions,” through the creation of a 117-metre wide plane that would need 6 jumbo jet engines to take off, and have a gross weight of more than 544,000 kilograms.

"When I was growing up, America's space program was the symbol of aspiration," said Allen at a press conference on Tuesday, as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. Stratolaunch "will keep America at the forefront of space exploration and give tomorrow's children something to search for in the night sky and dream about."

The news makes Allen just the latest in a list of wealthy billionaires who have entered a private space race, in the aftermath of NASA’s decision to end its 30-year space shuttle programme earlier this year. Virgin Galactic, funded by Sir Richard Branson, for instance is working on a commercial space venture, which aims to fly passengers into sub-orbit by 2013.

Allen’s project, on the other hand, will only be operational within the next five years, with the initial plan set to carry cargo into space first before eventually carrying people.

Watch – How Will StratoLaunch’s System Work:

The company aims to make a profit initially by winning business to launch medium-sized satellites. Satellites that are launched from the ground often require more fuel and infrastructure, making them more expensive. They also can be held back by poor weather.

"The most interesting part of the story is that they're going to focus on cargo," said Helder Sebastiao, a University of Portland assistant professor who teaches entrepreneurship, to Oregon Live. “The business model they envision is the best way to be successful to deliver payloads."

Allen said that he decided to fund Stratolaunch after realising that “"for the first time since John Glenn, America cannot fly its own astronauts into space.”

“Nearsightedness dashed my dreams of becoming a pilot, but I never stopped dreaming of space,” said Allen as quoted by Bloomberg.

Still, he said he’ll “wait for a large number of those cargo flights to happen” before heading for space himself.


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