全球最大飞机首次试飞成功 未来将从半空发射卫星

Powerful Plane

强大的飞机

An airplane with a wingspan greater than the length of a football field just flew for the first time — putting us one step closer to More affordable spaceflight.

一架翼展长度超过一个足球场的飞机刚刚首次试飞成功，这让我们离更经济实惠的飞行器又近了一步。

The largest airplane in the world, the Stratolaunch, took off from Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif., on Saturday for its first test flight. According to a news release, it reached a maximum speed of 304 kilometers per hour (189 miles per hour) over the course of the 2.5-hour-long flight, soaring as high as 17,000 feet before landing safely.

世界上最大的飞机——平流层发射机，于周六从加利福尼亚州莫哈韦的莫哈维机场起飞，进行首次试飞。 根据新闻报道，在2.5小时的航程里，它最大速度达到了304公里每小时(189英里每小时)，然后从17000英尺的高空安全着陆。

"The flight itself was smooth, which is exactly what you want a first flight to be," test pilot Evan Thomas told The Verge, later adding, "It flew very much like we had simulated and like we predicted."

"飞行很顺利，这正是大家期待的试飞效果。”试飞员埃文·托马斯(Evan Thomas)告诉《边缘》杂志 ，后来又补充说,"它的试飞与我们模拟和预测相符。”

Air Launch

空中发射

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen started Stratolaunch Systems in 2011 with the goal of building an airplane massive enough to carry rockets and other spacecraft to low-earth orbit.

微软联合创始人保罗·艾伦于2011年开始创建平流层发射系统，目标是建造一架足够大的飞机，将火箭和其他飞船送入近地轨道。

This way of reaching space, known as air launch to orbit, has numerous benefits over traditional spacecraft launches. Because the plane takes off from a runway, it "can circumvent bad weather, air traffic, and other variables that cause delays with traditional ground launches," according to Stratolaunch's website.

这种进入太空的方式被称为“空中发射入轨”，与传统的航天器发射相比有许多好处。据“平流层发射”（Stratolaunch）的网站称，飞机从跑道起飞，因此“可以避开恶劣天气、空中交通和其他会导致传统地面发射延迟的不确定因素”。

And because the Stratolaunch is reusable — it lands after each launch — the company doesn't need to charge as much for its launch services, further democratizing access to space.

此外，由于平流层发射是可重复使用的(每次发射后会着陆)，该公司无需为其发射服务收取同等的费用，进一步普及了对太空的访问进程。