The giant Stratolaunch plane made its second flight on Thursday, taking to the skies over the Southern California desert.

The six-engine jet with the world’s longest wingspan took off from Mojave Air and Space Port two years after its maiden flight following a change in ownership and purpose.

“We’re in the air,” Stratolaunch tweeted around 7:30 a.m.

The behemoth landed safely on its 28 wheels after about three hours, and Stratolaunch called the flight test a success.

The twin-aisle aircraft, called the Roc, has a wingspan of 117 meters. It was developed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who died just months before its first flight in April 2019.

Allen intended to use it as a carrier aircraft for space launches, carrying satellite rockets under the center of the wing and releasing them at high altitude.

The new owners initially plan to use it as a carrier aircraft for launching reusable hypersonic flight research vehicles.

Hypersonic describes flight at speeds of at least Mach 5, which is five times the speed of sound.

Paul Allen’s rocket-launching dream plane is finally taking to the skies.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen didn’t live to see Stratolaunch, an absolute behemoth of an aircraft, take its maiden flight. He died at the end of 2018, and Stratolaunch took off on Saturday April 13, 2019.

In its release, Stratolaunch announced a historic milestone that began at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The massive plane flew over the desert for 2.5 hours, reaching altitudes of up to 5,200 meters with a top speed of 304 km/h.

Stratolaunch calls the aircraft “the world’s largest composite aircraft.” Being big is not just big. It is designed to use its belly to hold other vehicles, which can then be launched into space.

If you installed the Stratolaunch on an American football field, its wings would span every end zone.

So imagine this giant taking off and then releasing a rocket from underneath itself to launch a satellite into orbit. The reinforced central wing, with a span of 117 meters, can accommodate multiple launch vehicles weighing 226,796 kg.

The pilots checked off an extensive to-do list that included performing flight control maneuvers and simulating approach exercises. The plane returned safely to the ground after its flight.

Allen founded Stratolaunch in 2011 with the idea of “airline-style access to space” as an alternative to ground-based space launch systems.

“We all know that Paul would be proud to witness today’s historic achievement,” said Jody Allen, Chairman of Vulcan Inc. and a trustee of the Paul G. Allen Trust.