SATELLITES AND ASTRONAUTS could one day take off on a rocket carried by the largest aircraft ever flown, cruise to 30,000 feet and then blast into orbit.

Billionaire Paul Allen on Tuesday announced the creation of Huntsville, Ala.-based Stratolaunch Systems to develop a carrier aircraft with a wingspan wider than a football field to carry and deploy a SpaceX rocket. The initiative reunites Microsoft co-founder Allen with legendary aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. They developed SpaceShipOne and together won the $10 million Ansari X Prize in 2004 for being the first privately funded, manned vehicle to reach space twice in two weeks.

Check the link above to see a short simulation of the flight/launch sequence.