NASA Takes Another Step Towards Supersonic Passenger Flights

Ever since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003, the speedy journey across the Atlantic Ocean has become a thing of history.

Traveling between London and New York now requires approximately eight hours, or a bit less —say around seven hours—when going the other way.

The fastest recorded time for this route is just under five hours from New York to London, aided by a helpful jet stream, reported CNN.

However, the idea of super-fast travel is making a comeback, and this time, it’s NASA leading the conversation. NASA says that a flight between New York and London might only take around ninety minutes in the future.

Traveling in a supersonic jet at Mach 4, NASA believes in it more than ever
Does the supersonic plane have its place in the commercial offers of airlines? NASA is working on the subject and moving the project forward. Will it soon be possible to board a supersonic plane for a… pic.twitter.com/nNokDBfs02

— R.Kamel physicien (@m88RB87) August 24, 2023

NASA has shared in a blog post outlining its “high-speed strategy” that it has been looking into the possibility of future commercial flights traveling at speeds of up to Mach 4, which is over three thousand miles per hour.

NASA’s supersonic aircraft called X-59s

A recent study conducted by NASA’s Glenn Research Center has highlighted the possibility of “potential passenger markets” on about fifty established routes.

These routes are primarily transoceanic, covering areas like the North Atlantic and the Pacific. This is because certain countries, including the US, have regulations against supersonic flight over land.

Nevertheless, NASA is actively working on the development of “quiet” supersonic aircraft, known as X-59s, under its QueSST mission. The goal behind these efforts is to create an aircraft that will operate within the speed range of Mach 2 to Mach 4, which translates to speeds of 1,535 to 3,045 miles per hour.

NEW: @NASA #X59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft has been approved for final assembly.
The @LockheedMartin-built aircraft will now undergo final construction and perform its first flight in 2021.#NASA hopes the X-59s shape will reduce the loudness of a sonic boom. pic.twitter.com/DroqHBF9ps

— Charles A Atkeison (@Military_Flight) December 16, 2019

To put things into perspective, the Concorde, a famous supersonic aircraft, had a top speed of Mach 2.04, or 1,354 miles per hour. If an aircraft can reach Mach 4, it could potentially complete a transatlantic journey in as little as ninety minutes.

Moving to the research phase of the study

After completing the studies, NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAV) is advancing to the next phase of research focused on high-speed travel.

The agency will be partnering with companies to create designs and delve into “air travel possibilities, outline risks and challenges, and identify needed technologies to make Mach 2-plus travel a reality,” it was said.

The research phase will involve two teams, led by Boeing and Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, respectively. Both teams will be tasked with designing aircraft that can maintain high supersonic speeds.

Similar research efforts, much like the current studies, were conducted a decade ago and had a notable impact on the design of the X-59 aircraft. This insight comes from Lori Ozoroski, who serves as project manager for NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology Project.

Ozoroski emphasized that these new studies will reexamine technology plans and pinpoint further research requirements, aiming to encompass a wider spectrum of high-speed capabilities.