02/07/2023
A European company is aiming to develop a hypersonic passenger aircraft that could potentially complete the journey from New York to London in just 90 minutes. This comes more than two decades after the retirement of the Concorde due to safety concerns and high operational costs. While Concorde could complete the London to New York trip in approximately three hours, it faced challenges such as excessive fuel usage per passenger and concerns about sonic booms over residential areas.
The startup company, Destinus, now has plans to surpass the Concorde's capabilities with its hypersonic passenger aircraft currently in development. The proposed designs include the Destinus S, a smaller business jet capable of carrying around 25 passengers, and the larger Destinus L, designed to accommodate 300-400 people. The hypersonic plane would operate at an altitude of approximately 108,000 feet, significantly higher than the cruising altitude of the Boeing 737, and would reach a speed of Mach five, or five times the speed of sound.
The projected travel time of 90 minutes from Paris to New York showcases the potential of this technology. However, it's important to note that these aircraft are still in the development phase, and Destinus anticipates the first deliveries to be available between 2032 and 2035 for the Destinus S and around the 2040s for the Destinus L. The aircraft will utilize liquid hydrogen fuel and ramjet engines, with a turbot paired with an afterburner to transition from subsonic to supersonic speeds, followed by the activation of the ramjet for hypersonic travel.
