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Supersonic & Hypersonic Civilian Transport Projects in Development
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Elderberry:
Parabolic Arc by Doug Messier October 19, 2020
Boom Supersonic’s recent rollout of its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft marked a milestone in an accelerating race to revive an era of civilian supersonic travel that ended when the Concorde jetliner was retired in 2003.
XB-1, aka Baby Boom, is set to begin flight tests next year from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The Mach 2.2 (2,717 km/h, 1,688 mph) vehicle is the precursor to Boom’s 55-seat Overture airliner, which is scheduled to begin carrying passengers in 2029.
Boom’s roll out of the XB-1 came two months after Virgin Galactic unveiled plans for a Mach 3 (3,704 km/h, 2,302 mph) business jet capable of carrying up to 19 passengers.
At least six companies and one government are working on high-speed aircraft that would carry between 9 and 100 passengers at speeds ranging from Mach 1.4 (1,729 km/h, 1,074 mph) to above Mach 5 (6,174 km/h, 3,836 mph). SpaceX plans to use its Starship rocket to zip passengers and cargo between distant locations on Earth at Mach 20.
Supersonic & Hypersonic Vehicle Programs
Company/Agency Vehicle Passengers Mach First Flight
Aerion AS2 12 1.4 2024
Spike Aerospace S-512 12-18 1.6 TBA
Virgin Galactic TBA 9-19 3.0 TBA
Boom Supersonic XB-1* 0 2.2 2021
Boom Supersonic Overture 55 2.2 2025
ExoSonic TBA 70 1.8 TBA
Hermeus TBA TBA 5+ TBA
SpaceX Starship TBA 20.0 2020
NASA — Lockheed X-59 QueSST* 0 1.42 2022
Martin
JAXA TBA 100 5.0 TBA
More: http://parabolicarc.com/2020/10/19/supersonic-hypersonic-civilian-transport-projects-in-development/
Joe Wooten:
Physics and economics will ensure supersonic travel will never be cheap. For fuel consumption, the sweet spot for air travel is about 500-550 mph and nothing will change that. Supersonic travel will involve increased fuel consumption which will mean much higher ticket prices. Also supersonic travel will stress the airframes much more which means either more robust construction or shorter lifetime, both of which will also make ticket prices higher. TANSTAAFL
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