A company working on a hypersonic jet to travel 3,500 miles in just one hour have reported a successful test flight.
Long haul flights could soon be a thing of the past as Venus Aerospace hopes to pave the way for hypersonic travel.
This means that it could be possible for planes to travel through the sky four to six times the speed of sound, resulting in much shorter trips abroad.
For example, a trip from London to New York would be as quick as going to France.
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There has now been a breakthrough after the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) was launched from a spaceport in New Mexico on Wednesday (May 14).
Speaking about to Metro about the event, Sarah ‘Sassie’ Duggleby, who is the CEO and co-founder of Venus Aerospace, said: “This is the moment we’ve been working toward for five years. We’ve proven that this technology works – not just in simulations or the lab, but in the air.”
It is hoped that eventually the firm will be able to develop the Stargazer M4, which is a Mach 4 reusable passenger aircraft.
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Duggleby founded the aerospace company back in 2020 alongside her husband, rocket scientist Andrew Duggleby.
If further test flights are successful, Duggleby hopes that flyers will be able to travel from San Francisco to Tokyo in just two hours, instead of the current 13 hours.
Scott McLaughlin, who is the executive director at Spaceport America, added: “Spaceport America was created to make space history, and Venus Aerospace delivered a milestone moment for hypersonics today.
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“Getting a rotating detonation rocket engine to the launch pad is an achievement few thought possible in such a short time. We’re thrilled to host innovators like Venus, whose breakthroughs are redefining what’s possible in spaceflight.”
Speaking about the effects flying at such speed could have, Duggleby went on to say: “As long as the human body has gentle acceleration up to that speed, then we don’t care if we’re going 1,000 miles per hour, or 500 miles per hour or 20 miles per hour.”
Andrew Duggleby, who is the co-founder and chief technology officer, added: “Rotating detonation has been a long-sought gain in performance.
“Venus’ RDRE solved the last but critical steps to harness the theoretical benefits.
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“We’ve built an engine that not only runs, but runs reliably and efficiently—and that’s what makes it scalable. This is the foundation we need that, combined with a ramjet, completes the system from take-off to sustained hypersonic flight.”