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Since Concorde, passengers have not managed to travel at supersonic speeds from London to New York in less than three hours.
But with advancements in technology, travelers could not only make that journey in just 90 minutes in a day, they could also complete the current 20-hour journey from Sydney to Frankfurt in just over four hours.
That’s because Swiss startup Destinus is building a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft that can travel five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5.
The Concorde operated at a speed of Mach 1.
The company’s first aircraft, which can accommodate about 25 passengers, is expected to be ready in 2030.
Speedy: Swiss startup Destinus is building a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft (pictured) that can travel at five times the speed of sound, or Mach 5
Destinus wants to make it possible to fly to Singapore from anywhere in the world for a breakfast meeting or a quick weekend trip to the US.
It claims that by using hydrogen to power the aircraft, it would be more environmentally friendly than current aircraft, as it would emit no carbon, just heat and water vapour.
Compared to the mass of kerosene that powers traditional aircraft, it is three times more energy efficient, the company claims.
“You can get to the other side of the world in three to four hours without sacrificing versatility, cost or noise,” Destinus said.
The company believes the long-haul and high-speed capabilities of the proposed hypersonic aircraft could open up new flight paths for cargo and passenger transport anywhere on Earth.
To make the journey from London to New York in less than two hours possible, the plane would have to fly at an altitude of more than 50 kilometers or 163,680 feet.
‘At these high speeds it is a challenge to keep the structure cold. That is why we are developing a unique active cooling system solution that converts the thermal energy generated by friction with air into propulsion,” says Destinus.
Keeping the structure cold enough to survive the external hot current conditions while powering the rocket motors.
“Once closer to the destination, the hypersonic aircraft gently reduce the amount of thrust generated and gradually enter a hover phase, ready to land.”
Destinus wants to make it possible to fly to Singapore from anywhere in the world for a breakfast meeting or a quick weekend trip to the US
It claims that by using hydrogen to power the aircraft, it would be more environmentally sustainable than current aircraft, as it would emit no carbon, just heat and water vapor
The aircraft would use hydrogen-powered turbojet engines for takeoff and landing, while a separate chemical rocket engine would propel the aircraft to hypersonic speeds.
“Destinus is a designer and manufacturer of ultra-long-range hypersonic aircraft that can be easily integrated into daily life because it does not generate noise and can use conventional airports,” the company added.
In November 2022, Destinus announced that it had completed a successful flight test of its Eiger prototype at an airport near Munich.
It said it was analyzing data from that as it worked on a new model that “will serve as a testbed for supersonic flight and hydrogen propulsion.”
Since Concorde (pictured), passengers have not managed to travel at supersonic speeds from London to New York in less than three hours
The company said it aims to “start these flight campaigns for this new prototype by the end of 2023.”
Commercial supersonic passenger flights ended in 2003 when Air France and British Airways Concorde were retired.
But the potential for future travel on a similar aircraft has been discussed by a number of major aviation players.
For example, Boeing plans to test a hydrogen-powered jet engine in the mid-2020s.
Boom Supersonic has plans for supersonic flight in the US, while Hermes is working with the US Air Force and NASA to develop a range of autonomous aircraft.
Venus Aerospace, a Houston startup, aims to get passengers from Los Angeles to Tokyo in an hour using a Mach 12 hypersonic aircraft.