A hypersonic Jet Stargazer built by Venus Aerospace will travel at Mach 9. Hence, it became the profound world news as it will be nine times the speed of sound, and hold roughly a dozen people. According to the Houston-based business, the Stargazer, which is 150 feet long and 100 feet broad, would fly between two cities on the planet at a speed of 6,905 mph and an altitude of 170,000 feet.
Five times the speed of sound is hypersonic. In contrast, the Concorde, the final commercial supersonic aircraft, flew at a speed of Mach 2. On the other hand, roughly 1,535 mph. Lockheed’s SR-71 “Blackbird,” the fastest aircraft ever built, reached a speed of Mach 3.2 (2,455 mph).
With a rotating detonation engine that spins at 20,000 revolutions per second, Venus co-founder and CTO Andrew Duggleby hopes to transform Stargazer from science fiction to reality. Moreover, the business observed this after a recent successful test of a prototype at its Spaceport Houston offices.
The Concorde and Lockheed SR-7 “Blackbird” were two prior supersonic aircraft. But the new, inventive Hypersonic Jet Stargazer has outperformed both. Long-distance travel got revolutionized by Stargazer, which provides unmatched speed and efficiency.
Do you want to know about the development of hypersonic aircraft, which can travel at speeds up to Mach 9? Also, it has the potential to revolutionize aviation and push the limits of high-speed travel. Therefore, continue reading the article.
What Is The Concept Behind Hypersonic Jet Stargazer?
The renowned Concorde, which flew from 1973 to 2003, was the final aircraft to reach supersonic speeds. Thus, it was a remarkable performance for the time, the ultra-rapid plane’s four strong engines allowed it to go from New York to London in less than four hours.
However, after 30 years of service, airlines were obliged to retire the aircraft due to its expensive inefficiencies and unsafe operation. While no manufacturer has yet succeeded in doing so, some are attempting to do so.
The fastest-than-sound Overture jet from Denver-based Boom Supersonic, which has more than 100 orders from United Airlines, Japan Airlines, and American Airlines, is leading the field.
Some ambitious engineers, such as those at
- The European company Destinus
- The Georgia-based Hermeus
- The Texas-based Venus Aerospace
These mentioned above aim to create a hypersonic jet Stargazer that can travel even faster.
Particularly Venus, which was established in 2020, has ambitious aspirations for Mach-9 travel. Insider spoke with the company’s co-founders, Venus Aerospace CEO Sassie Duggleby and Chief Technology Officer Andrew Duggleby. During the Paris Airshow in June to discover more about their upcoming aircraft, code-named “Stargazer.”
How Can The ‘Stargazer’ Travel Nine Times Faster Than The Speed Of Sound?
Hypersonic Jet Stargazer plans to fly at more than five times the speed of sound. In addition, cover the distance between San Francisco and Tokyo in just one hour. Which is nearly 11 times faster than the average flight duration right now.
According to Venus, the jet was created to travel at Mach 9, which is around 6,900 miles per hour or nine times the speed of sound.
In contrast, Overture created at Mach 1.7, Hermus and Destinus are designing their hypersonic aircraft for Mach 5, and the Concorde flew at about Mach 2.
The US Navy is promoting the rotating-detonation technology, which uses 20% less fuel than a traditional engine. Yet, this technique has already undergone successful testing. However, on Venus, a room-temperature storable propellant was used for the first time, which will increase the engine’s suitability for airplanes.
According to Duggleby,
“We now have the technical know-how and engineering to fully advance into the next stages of development and flight testing.”
Duggleby
The 150,000-lb. Hypersonic Jet Stargazer will take off using standard jet engines before switching to rockets once it is in the air. Technically, the flight path does not follow the Karman line, which is 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, or the border of space. However, it will be high enough to glimpse the curved shape of the planet and the void of space.
Following the test, former NASA administrator and US Congressman Jim Bridenstine said,
“This represents a key advancement towards real flying systems, both for defense applications and ultimately commercial high-speed travel.”
Jim Bridenstine
Innovations And Inside Details About Hypersonic Jet Stargazer
- In 2018, the beginning of the hypersonic concept became possible when Andrew served in Japan as a reserve member of the US Navy.
- Compared to conventional rocket engines, the RDRE produced more temperature and pressure because it burned more quickly, effectively creating more thrust while using less fuel.
- To fuel the rocket engines, Hypersonic Jet Stargazer would have a “sort of liquid air” on board.
- As the first business in the world to design “room temperature storable liquid fuels” to function in an RDRE, Venus did so in October.
- Sassie compared the idea to a sequence where Tom Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, uses a jet engine to fly a military test plane to Mach 10 in the movie “Top Gun: Maverick.”
- The fictitious aircraft was the Lockheed Martin SR-72 “Darkstar,” a design for an unmanned hypersonic plane that would replace the SR-71 “Blackbird.”
- The SR-72 began to “melt” as a result of the intense 2,000°F heat produced by flying at supersonic speeds, particularly at the lower altitude needed for the jet engine.
- Venus, on the other hand, intended to replace the jet engine with a rocket engine, enabling it to fly above the heat and lower the aircraft’s skin temperature to roughly 800°F.
- The issue of passengers needing air at high altitudes would also be resolved if Venus brought its oxygen, particularly in the event of depressurization.
- A further innovation is the wave-rider design of the Hypersonic Jet Stargazer, which is a “highly efficient boost-glide mode of flight” that effectively aids the jet in riding its shockwaves produced by hypersonic speeds.
Conclusion
Since 2020, Venus Aerospace has been developing the idea for a hypersonic aircraft. Besides, it has raised $33 million to fund the project. With a 20-foot drone, it expects to reach Mach 5, the corporation will now start testing hypersonic flight. After that, albeit no specific time is there. However, it will construct the Hypersonic Jet Stargazer prototype.
For hypersonic startups like Venus and Hermeus, who have bemoaned the absence of long-distance “corridors” that permit supersonic testing over land, this is a significant victory. Venus noted that there was still a long way to go in the development of hypersonic travel despite her victory in Congress.
“We have a tremendous amount of obstacles to overcome”,
Sassie Stated
” We’re just taking it one step at a time,” the team continues to make amazing progress, and “we’re hitting the milestones we want to hit.”
With Airbus Ventures as an investor, Andrew stated that Venus was still testing the engine and that it will be riding on a drone for additional research.
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