A new hypersonic jet promises trips from London to New York in just one hour

Since the invention of airplanes, the time required to travel long distances has been greatly reduced. More than a hundred years ago, travel across the Atlantic Ocean was only done by boat, a journey that usually took between seven and ten days at sea. Today, commercial flights can connect the British capital city to city New York in about seven hours, a huge leap in efficiency. However, income came hypersonic jet promises to reduce travel times even further, with the ability to turn long-haul flights into shortcuts.

Hypersonic travel: the future of transportation

The concept of hypersonic flight is not entirely new, but the technological progress to make it a commercial reality is closer than ever. A hypersonic jet is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 5, that is, five times the speed of sound or thereabouts 4,800 kilometers per hour. At this speed, the journey between London and New Yorka distance of approximately 5,570 kilometers, to be completed in just 60 minutes.

Although there have been advances in high-speed flight in the past, as evidenced by the Concordewhich holds the record for the fastest flight between these two cities with a time of almost three hours, the new hypersonic technology promises to greatly exceed that mark. In theory, this innovation would allow it to complete the journey in a third of the time required by the Concorde, a feat that seemed impossible to achieve until now.

Venus aerospace: at the cutting edge of engineering

It is the company behind this ambitious project Venus Aerospacea company that has been developing the Venus Detonation Ramjet engine. This engine, with a power of 900 kilograms of thrust, is the key to reaching speeds up to Mach 6, which would allow hypersonic aircraft to travel at 5,800 kilometers per hour. According to Venus Aerospace engineers, this will not only shorten the flight time between distant cities, but open the door to new opportunities for commercial transport and defense applications.

The Venus Aerospace team is working to ensure that the first flight tests take place the following yearand its long-term goal is to integrate hypersonic jets into the commercial aviation market.

The challenge of going over Concorde

The Concorde, although revolutionary in its time, ceased operation in 2003 after several adverse factors, incl the terrible disaster of the year 2000in which 113 people died. This accident highlighted the dangers of supersonic aircraft, which caused serious problems for the Concorde in terms of safety, operating costs and environmental sustainability. Despite its speed, the model they never managed to be profitable in the long run. The challenge now for Venus Aerospace is not only to achieve the promised speed, but also to ensure that hypersonic flight is safe, efficient and environmentally friendly, key factors for its long-term success.

The world of aviation has come a long way since the first commercial flights, and the development of hypersonic jets could represent the next big step. Although there is still a lot to be done before this type of flight becomes part of our daily lives, the tests carried out in the coming months could bring us closer to a future where crossing oceans in a few minutes as the norm, rather than the exception.