NASA’s X-59 ‘Son of Concorde’ could cut the duration of London to New York flights to under four hours by 2029, beating a trip to Tenerife with a quiet ‘sonic thump’
Jetsetting Brits could soon cross the Atlantic in the time it takes to fly to the Canary Islands – and the revolutionary technology is closer than you think. NASA’s cutting-edge X-59 QueSST, dubbed the “Son of Concorde,” is being engineered to outpace current commercial airliners by a staggering 300mph.
Cruising at speeds north of 900mph, the supersonic beast could shrink the London to New York flight time to a mere three hours and 45 minutes. That is significantly faster than standard routes to several popular Spanish holiday hotspots.
Normal commercial flights across the pond currently drag on for an average of seven hours and 30 minutes at speeds of around 600mph.
But the new standard-setting aircraft will slash that journey to under four hours, beating a traditional four-hour-30-minute flight to Tenerife.
The aviation game-changer is gearing up for crucial test flights, where it will initially push past the 630mph mark at an altitude of 43,000ft.
Following the initial trials, NASA confirmed that “mission conditions” will follow where the jet will go even faster. If everything goes off without a hitch, commercial supersonic travel could be back on the cards by 2029.
Unlike the window-rattling vessels of the past, the jet bypasses the traditional sonic boom. Even though the sound barrier sits at roughly 660mph, the X-59’s sleek shape muffles the noise.
Instead of a deafening explosion, it will produce a muted “sonic thump,” which is said to be “about as loud as a car door closing.”
Up until this point, NASA’s rigorous testing has been confined to wind tunnels or lower-speed atmospheric flights.
The “Son of Concorde” moniker pays homage to the legendary original Concorde – the world’s premiere supersonic airliner which welcomed its first passengers back in 1976.
Concorde still holds iconic status in aviation history. Its swiftest journey was clocked on February 7, 1996, when a British Airways crew blasted from New York’s JFK to London Heathrow in a breathtaking two hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds. Only 20 of the supersonic marvels were ever built before the entire fleet was permanently grounded in 2003.
The demise of the original supersonic era followed three years after a tragic Air France crash that claimed the lives of all passengers and crew onboard. Dwindling ticket sales and astronomical running costs ultimately sealed the iconic aircraft’s fate.
During its glory days, Concorde regularly shattered the sound barrier, unleashing thunderous booms that rattled windows and shook communities below. This time around, NASA is aiming for a much quieter revolution.