Supersonic hydrogen jet twice Concorde speed aims for ‘London to New York trip in 1.5 hours’ as Nasa ‘identifies routes’
NASA has revealed new updates on its supersonic hydrogen plane that aims to be twice as fast as Concorde.
The US space agency has been researching the possibility of a Mach 4 passenger jet that only takes 1.5 hours to get from New York to London.
If the plane was to achieve that flight it would be four times faster than what’s currently possible with commercial aircraft.
It would also break Concorde’s record as the plane famously took 2 hours 52 minutes and 59 seconds to complete the New York to London flight in 1996.
Nasa said this week: “Flying from New York City to London up to four times faster than what’s currently possible may sound like a far-off dream, but NASA is exploring whether the commercial market could support travel at such speeds.”
The US space agency revealed that it’s identified a possible passenger market and 50 routes for the jet.
It said: “The NASA studies concluded potential passenger markets exist in about 50 established routes that connect cities.
“Since the U.S. and other nations prohibit supersonic flight over land, the studies’ findings covered transoceanic travel, including high-volume North Atlantic routes and those crossing the Pacific.”
For the plane to be a commercial success, overland supersonic flight rules would need to be changed.
Nasa intends to conduct more research into air travel possibilities to make commercial flights traveling between Mach 2 and Mach 4 speeds a reality.
That translates to about 1,535 to 3,045 mph at sea level.
Boeing is also involved in the project and will be leading a team as well as other big brands like Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace.
Nasa added: “Each team will develop roadmap elements to include airframe, power, propulsion, thermal management, and composite materials that can hold up under high-supersonic speeds.
“They will also create non-proprietary designs for concept vehicles.”
Mary Jo Long-Davis, manager of NASA’s Hypersonic Technology Project said: “The design concepts and technology roadmaps are really important to have in our hands when the companies are finished.
“We are also collectively conscious of the need to account for safety, efficiency, economic, and societal considerations. It’s important to innovate responsibly so we return benefits to travelers and do no harm to the environment.”