Venus Aerospace says it has successfully tested a rocket engine that could make hypersonic jet travel a reality.
It is hoped the engine could enable planes to travel four to six times the speed of sound from a conventional airport runway, making going from London to New York comparable to a trip to France.
The Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) launched from Spaceport America in New Mexico this morning, after months of testing in controlled conditions.
Sarah ‘Sassie’ Duggleby, CEO and co-founder, 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.’
Their ultimate goal is to develop the Stargazer M4, a Mach 4 reusable passenger aircraft, that would fly close to the edge of space.
Speaking with Metro before the launch, Ms Duggleby said the key difference with their engine compared to traditional rockets is that it is more efficient, so can carry less fuel.
Calling the tech the ‘holy grail’ of rocket engines, Ms Duggleby told Metro the main challenge was stopping it getting so hot that it melted.
‘My favorite analogy is it’s like lighting a fire in a wax fireplace, and you have to keep the wax from melting,’ she said.
‘It’s really hot. So it’s almost like you would send ice water through the wax to pull out the heat, and you keep doing that over and over again.’
She founded the company with rocket scientist husband Andrew Duggleby in 2020, and since then has secured millions of pounds in investment, and interest from Nasa.
If test flights continue to go to plan, a jet could potentially travel at 3,600mph and Ms Duggleby said that going from San Francisco to Tokyo could then become a ‘day trip’ in two hours, compared to the 13 hours it is currently.
Scott McLaughlin, executive director at Spaceport America, said: ‘Spaceport America was created to make space history, and Venus Aerospace delivered a milestone moment for hypersonics today.
‘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.’
The technology could go on to be used in both defence and commercial flight.
Mrs Duggleby said the experience of flying in a plane this fast would be much the same as being in a plane currently (except with a better view, as you would be further up).
Humans wouldn’t suffer too much because we can withstand travelling quickly as long as it happens gradually.
‘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,’ she said.
Andrew Duggleby, co-founder and chief technology officer, said: ‘Rotating detonation has been a long-sought gain in performance.
”Venus’ RDRE solved the last but critical steps to harness the theoretical benefits.
‘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.’
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