NASA invests in supersonic air travel projects

NASA is advancing the research into potential supersonic commercial air travel, and has selected eight projects it is planning to invest in.

The US space agency has allocated more than US$2.3 million in funding for research that it says “may help overcome the remaining barriers to commercial supersonic flight”.

Projects being funded include those being undertaken by educational establishments such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and University of California, and major aerospace companies including Rockwell Collins, GE and Honeywell.

The research will address issues including sonic booms and high-altitude emissions from supersonic jets. Currently, supersonic flights are banned in the US due to their excessive noise levels.

The world’s only commercial supersonic aircraft, Concorde, was retired in 2003.

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