The world’s first hypersonic jet, capable of flying from London to New York in just one hour, is set to begin testing, marking a potential leap forward in air travel. The development could further revolutionize global connectivity, slashing what was once a seven to ten-day sea voyage between the two cities into a matter of minutes.
Similarly, crossing the U.S. from coast to coast, a journey that traditionally took four to six days by land, became dramatically quicker with the rise of modern air travel. Now, those travel times could be reduced even further with the advent of hypersonic flight.
So, what exactly is hypersonic travel? Unlike standard passenger planes, a hypersonic jet can fly at around 3,000 miles per hour, or Mach 5—five times the speed of sound. To put that in perspective, the distance between London and New York is roughly 3,461 miles.
While supersonic air travel isn’t entirely new—Concorde held the record for the fastest transatlantic flight at just under three hours—hypersonic jets could cut that time by two-thirds.
Leading this technological breakthrough is Venus Aerospace, currently developing the Venus Detonation Ramjet 2000 lb Thrust Engine. The company plans to begin test flights next year, aiming to bring hypersonic travel to both commercial and defense sectors.
“This engine brings the hypersonic economy to life,” said Venus Aerospace co-founder Andrew Duggleby at the Up.Summit, where the engine was unveiled. “We’re thrilled to partner with Velontra to achieve this revolution in high-speed flight, given their expertise in air combustion at these speeds.”
Whether hypersonic flight will endure longer than the short-lived Concorde remains to be seen, but the potential to redefine air travel is clear.