How about travelling to any corner of the Earth in just 2 hours! Unbelievable, right? Well, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, is planning to launch Suborbital Flights that will be capable of transporting you anywhere on the Earth in 2 hours.
As per the latest news reports, NASA disclosed the X-59 spacecraft, which has a top speed of almost 1,500 km per hour. It plans to launch X-59 ‘Son of Concorde, whereas the X-59 will be smaller and slower than Concorde.
This new launch claims to reduce travel time from New York to London by around 3 hours and 30 minutes. As per the recent research published by Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a flight from London to Sydney, which currently takes 22 hours, could likely be reduced to just two hours.
X-59 represents the ‘Quiet Supersonic Technology,’ aiming to generate a ‘sonic thump’ in lieu of the disruptive sonic boom produced when breaking the sound barrier. The suborbital flights bear similarities to the rockets utilised by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic jet program. Operating at an impressive speed of 3500 miles, which is equivalent to 5632 km per hour, these flights present remarkable time-saving prospects.
Further, as stated by NASA, when an aircraft surpasses the speed of sound, shockwaves are generated and propagate away from the aircraft. Usually, these shockwaves combine, leading to disruptive sonic booms, which can be heard for miles on both sides of the aircraft’s flight path. The X-59, however, has been specifically designed to prevent these shockwaves from merging, resulting in a more subdued sonic thump instead of the loud sonic boom commonly produced by other supersonic aircraft.
If reports are to go by, a single-seated X-59 will be about 100 ft long, with a wingspan of just 29.5 ft and a height of 14 ft, like for example, a trip from New York to London can be completed in less than an hour.
For latest travel news and updates, food and drink journeys, restaurant features, and more, like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram. Read more on Travel and Food Network
Trending on TFN
The 23 Best Places To Go In 2023
