World’s largest plane takes flight, can air-launch rockets into space

The world’s largest aircraft took off over the Mojave Desert in California, the first flight for the carbon-composite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems Corp, started by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, as the company enters the lucrative private space market.

In pic: The Stratolaunch plane flying above the California desert, the first test flight of the US company’s gigantic aircraft whose wingspan is almost half that of an Airbus A380.