In a staggering leap towards revolutionising commercial air travel, NASA, the American space agency, has set its sights on slashing the journey time between New York and London to less than the duration of an average in-flight film.
As reported by the Daily Mail, NASA is actively exploring the realm of supersonic flight. Should the initial studies prove promising, the aircraft will soar across the Atlantic at unprecedented speeds of between Mach 2 and Mach 4—that’s approximately 2,470 to 4,900 kilometres per hour.
In such a scenario, a journey between London and New York, separated by roughly 5,500km, would take a mere 90 minutes.
According to the agency’s press release, NASA has moved into the execution phase of the plan, having awarded two 12-month contracts to Boeing, Rolls-Royce, and other partners to assist in conceptualising the new jet and mapping out its technological trajectory.
Earlier this summer, NASA completed testing its X-59 supersonic experimental aircraft, designed to dampen its own sonic booms. This will serve as a linchpin for this audacious new venture in supersonic air travel.