From Mexico City to Madrid in one hour? That is the promise of this startup and its hypersonic planeVenus Aerospace develops a passenger plane that could exceed 6,000 mph.
This article was translated from ourSpanish edition.
Can you imagine the impact that being able to move from one continent to another in just one hour would have? Go around the whole world in about four hours? A company in the United States says that you could soon do it. This isVenus Aerospace, a startup based in the city of Houston, which is developing a twelve-passenger plane capable of reaching a speed of Mach 9 (6,905.42 mph). The company is working on the development of three different technologies: a state-of-the-art engine similar to the one used by space rockets, an aerodynamic design for the plane and a unique cooling system. The company's idea is that the aircraft can take off from any airport like a conventional plane and rise to 35,000 feet. At that moment, the liquid fuel engine would be turned on, which would help it reach 170,000 feet and exceed 6,000 mph, helped by atmospheric conditions.
In a press release issued yesterday by the company, Andrew Duggleby, founder of the company with his wife Sarah, explains: "Recent technological advances finally allow (the manufacture) of a space plane, the vehicle that we have envisioned. for a long time, but only now is it possible".
In the same statement, Venus Aerospace announced the raising of $20 million dollars in a Series A financing round led byPrime Movers Lab, a firm that invests in scientific innovation companies. Duggleby added: "We will use this round of funding to conduct flight and engine tests at theHouston Spaceport. Bringing this technology to systems, drones, and eventually space planes will require veterans as well as bright new minds. We have gone from the impossible to the difficult, and this investment will allow us to take the next steps."
In total the startup has raised$33 million dollarsand among the companies that participated in the recent round of financing areDraper Associates,Boost,Saturn 5,Seraph Group,CantosandThe Helm & Tamarack Global.
The press release makes it clear that the project to make hypersonic flight a reality is still at an early stage. You can discover more about the project on theofficial websiteof Venus Aerospace.
How fast would the Venus Aerospace plane be?
To put things in perspective and understand what the company is trying to do, here is a comparison of the speed that different aircraft can achieve:
Commercial flight:between 800 and 1,040 km/h
Concorde:2,179 km/h
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (fastest military aircraft):3,500 km/h
Venus:11,113 km/h
Falcon 9 (from SpaceX): 28,968 km/h
Venus Aerospace is not the only company working on the development of hypersonic flight. Its competitors includeHermeusandSpace Transportation.
