London to New York in 1 hour? Hypersonic jet dubbed Stargazer could soon transport passengers across... (original) (raw)

It sounds like a dream that's too good to be true for today's modern businessmen and women.

But commuter trips across the Atlantic could be shortened eight-fold, thanks to a new 'hypersonic' liner in the works.

A Texas aerospace company called Venus Aerospace is working on a jet plane called Stargazer, along with the engine that will power it.

Stargazer will be 'hypersonic' – meaning it can travel at more than five times the speed of sound – and will also fly higher than other aircraft.

If cleared for commercial travel, the $33 million jet could complete the 3,459-mile trip from London to New York in less than one hour - around three times as fast as Concorde (1,354mph) and five times that of NASA's upcoming plane that's being dubbed 'Son of Concorde' (937mph).

Commuter trips across the Atlantic could be shortened eight-fold, thanks to a new 'hypersonic' liner in the works (concept image)

Venus's advanced propulsion system (pictured during testing) is engineered to power high-speed vehicles, including drones and aircraft

At the Up Summit event in Bentonville, Arkansas last week, Venus Aerospace debuted the engine that will power its Stargazer plane through the skies.

It's called the Venus Detonation Ramjet 2000 lb Thrust Engine, also known as 'VDR2'.

Andrew Duggleby, Venus Aerospace co-founder, said the engine will enable a 'revolution in high-speed flight'.

'This engine makes the hypersonic economy a reality,' said Duggleby, who founded the company in 2020.

According to Venus Aerospace, VDR2 can reach speeds of Mach 6 or six times the speed of sound – so around 4,600mph.

That would make it officially 'hypersonic', which is the level above 'supersonic' (exceeding the speed of sound - Mach 1 or 767mph).

Venus Aerospace has already released concept images of Stargazer, but it's unclear how close it is to building a prototype of equivalent size

It will take off using traditional jet engines, but once it reaches a high enough altitude it will transition to the VDR2 (concept image)

Venus Aerospace says: 'The VDR2 combines the high thrust and efficiency of the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) with the high efficiency cruise of a Ramjet'

When ready, VDR2 will power high-speed drones as well as Stargazer, which the company has raised $33 million to build.

VDR2 was already successfully tested in a small drone earlier this year, and now the company is eyeing a second drone test in 2025.

Venus Aerospace has already released concept images of Stargazer, but it's unclear how close it is to building a prototype of equivalent size.

If Stargazer comes to fruition, it will be the first passenger-carrying commercial airplane to go faster than the speed of sound since Concorde.

Retired more than 20 years ago, Concorde flew at a maximum altitude of 60,000 feet.

According to Venus Aerospace, its upcoming plane will not only be faster but will fly higher – up to 110,000 feet.

It will take off using traditional jet engines, but once it reaches a high enough altitude it will transition to the VDR2, which uses rockets and a 'ramjet'.

Ramjets are a type of 'airbreathing' jet engine that uses the engine's forward motion to compress the incoming air.

Just like Concorde passengers almost a quarter of a century ago, Stargazer passengers will be high enough to see the curvature of Earth.

This is where the horizon is a slight curve rather than a straight line, normally seen from 50,000 feet.

According to Venus Aerospace, VDR2 can reach speeds of Mach 6 or six times the speed of sound – so around 4,600mph - which would make it officially 'hypersonic'

According to Venus Aerospace, its upcoming plane Stargazer will not only be faster than Concore but will fly higher - up to 110,000 feet

Retired more than 20 years ago, Concorde flew at a maximum altitude of 60,000 feet. Pictured, the the curvature of Earth as seen from Concorde

Concorde was the first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003. Pictured is British Airways Concorde G-BOAB taking off over the Cotswolds

Venus Aerospace is working with Ohio company Velontra, which provides hypersonic weapon technologies, to bring the plane to life.

'We can’t wait to dig in, make the first one fly, and ultimately perfect an engine concept that has lived mostly in textbooks but never as a production unit in the air,' said Eric Briggs, Velontra’s chief operating officer.

Stargazer may not be ready before NASA's new 100-foot-long plane, called X-59, which exists as a prototype.

X-59 is capable of cruising at 937 miles per hour, which is faster than the speed of sound but not as fast as Stargazer.

Another new supersonic craft also being dubbed the son of Concorde – Boom Supersonic's Overture – is also gearing up for its debut flight.

Largely due to the noise it made, Concorde was largely restricted to flights over the Atlantic – namely Paris to New York and London to New York.

The legendary plane was the world’s first supersonic airliner and operated for 27 years, but it was grounded in October 2003.

No government or manufacturer has since been able to release a commercial plane that can travel faster than the speed of sound.

Many of the reasons for the demise of Concorde were high fuel costs, concern over its noise and a preference for lower fares over speed.

It wasn't the first plane to break the sound barrier, however; that achievement was managed by the Bell X-1, piloted by Chuck Yeager, in October 1947.

The rocket engine-powered aircraft, designed and built in 1945, achieved a speed of 700 miles (1,127 kilometers) per hour.