DiscoverThe Wing WagThe Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: The World’s Most Expensive Piggyback Ride
The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: The World’s Most Expensive Piggyback Ride

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: The World’s Most Expensive Piggyback Ride

Update: 2025-11-20
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The Space Shuttle Orbiter frequently landed far from its launch site.  The orbiter could not fly on its own, so NASA developed the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to bring it back to the launch site at Kennedy Space Center.

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is a heavily modified Boeing 747 that had mounts on its back to support the orbiter.  Little did NASA know, they had just developed the world’s most expensive piggyback ride!

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The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: The World’s Most Expensive Piggyback Ride

The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft: The World’s Most Expensive Piggyback Ride

Jack Olinde