NASA moves a step closer to supersonic passenger flights | CNN
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A new study by NASA’s Glenn Research Center has looked at the possibility of supersonic passenger jets. Its “high-speed strategy” is mooting commercial flights that travel at up to Mach 4 – over 3,000 miles per hour – starting with transoceanic routes.

In July, Lockheed Martin completed the build of NASA’s X-59 test aircraft, which is designed to turn sonic booms into mere thumps, in the hope of making overland supersonic flight a possibility. Ground tests and a first test flight are planned for later in the year. NASA aims to have enough data to hand over to US regulators in 2027.

  • zephyreks
    52·
    1 year ago

    This is the only way to remain competitive when the US’ largest rivals are able to tap state funding for research.

    You don’t see the military applications of large-scale supersonic flight?

    • GarbageShoot [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      11·
      1 year ago

      Then it goes from “waste of money” to “actively bad”. God knows the last thing the US needs are new technologies with “military applications”