NASA unveiled a futuristic aircraft designed to accelerate through the atmosphere at speeds up to 11,500 kph to become the world's fastest plane. The finished version will fly at 10 times the speed of sound. The scramjet scoops oxygen out of the atmosphere and compresses it into the engine, where it is injected with hydrogen. NASA said yesterday the plane would be designed to fly at up to 10 times the speed of sound. Mach 1 is the speed of sound, which varies by altitude and is about 1,200 kph at sea level.
Conventional rockets carry both the hydrogen and oxidant.
Engineers will collect flight data needed to build future planes perhaps 60.96 metres in length. The first piloted prototypes may fly by 2025. Backers of the technology say air-breathing hypersonic propulsion could help space travel. None of the X-43As will be recovered from the ocean, officials said. Backers of the technology see air-breathing hypersonic propulsion as advantageous for improving access to space.