NASA is working on the supersonic passenger jet plane to move people faster than the traditional commercial flight. A new NASA project is developing an X-59 research jet designed to fly faster than sound.
The project’s primary objective is to build a commercial supersonic passenger airline to reduce the time to travel. One problem supersonic flights face is the sonic boom that it produces when the jet turns into supersonic speed.
NASA team is working on softening the sonic boom with innovative technology so the plane can move comfortably in the cities and land easily without causing damage to the surrounding area.
Supersonic flights are not a new concept. The Concorde was the first supersonic commercial Airline famous for its speed. The plane revolutionized the aero industry with its fast movability.
However, the company discontinued the commercial flight due to the impact of the supersonic boom that its engine produces when it starts flying at speed.
Landing and takeoff from the busiest city with a sonic boom every few seconds would cause hearing problems in the people living on the flight path. Additionally, the sonic boom creates sound waves that could shatter the window glass and damage private properties.
If NASA’s X-59 research jet project succeeds, we will have a new edge in plane travel technology, reducing air travel time. NASA, the commercial passenger airline flying at supersonic speed, would take passengers from London to New York in just 90 minutes. It will allow the passengers to cross the Atlantic Ocean at 1500mph or more.
One of the US-based space agencies named Quest Mission began in the year 2016. The mission’s primary objective was to design an aircraft consisting of innovative technology to reduce the sonic boom that supersonic flight produces when it moves at speed. The sound is produced by the compressed air at the front of the plane when traveling at the rate.
Previous supersonic passenger flights were banned due to the noise created in populated areas. People would go crazy if they had to deal with the sonic boom every few minutes on their heads. The sonic boom is another reason passengers never upgraded to increase the speed of the current commercial flights.
The technology has yet to be improved as far as the speed is concerned. The Airline must travel at the plane’s set speed for decades. We are stuck at the speed limit because research has yet to be done on the sonic boom problem.
NASA’s project is focused on developing commercial flights similar to the Concorde. Research is conducted on the jet design by defense contractor Lockheed Martin to create a plane that mitigates the sonic boom. The new aircraft design will cruise at 937 mph at 55,000ft. And the jet has to produce as low as a sonic boom to reduce the noise level.
The ambitious project of NASA is under research. New designs are produced and tested to find the breakthrough in the technology. If the team at NASA finds the solution, it will be a significant breakthrough technology of the 21st century.
Due to the limited speed of the plane, the entire industry has been stuck in old age. New improvements have been seen for several decades. It is a time to rethink plane travel technology and bring fresh airplane designs or entirely new technology to speed up plane travel and reduce travel time.
Once the operational flight is ready to take off, NASA plans to run the test flight on one of the US cities in 2024 to find its impact on the people living on the ground. The data collected from the test file will be used to improve the technology.
Also, local responses will be considered to ensure it does not affect people on the ground. Especially the sonic boom would be one of the reasons why NASA had to redevelop the jet design. We hope that NASA achieves its goal and we will have completely new technology to change the aviation industry.
New rules will be introduced to make the supersonic flight comfortable for the passengers and the people on the ground. The routines will be redefined to get maximum results from the supersonic flight.
Today, the airline flies at the speed of 600mph. At this speed, the London to New York flight takes around eight hours on average to travel. We can complete the distance within 90 minutes with the supersonic flight. The first flight experience will be open to business class passengers because it will be expensive to travel. Economical class passengers may need help to afford the flight ticket. As the technology reaches its next upgrade, the supersonic flight may also have economical tickets.
Humans need to keep progressing in every area to upgrade our society. Supersonic jets will improve our travel time.
