Hypersonic Technology: NASA Sets New Standards in the Race for Speed

While we usually associate speed with figurative heroes from pop culture, like the legendary Speed Racer or Tom Cruise as Maverick in "Top Gun," NASA focuses on the use of hypersonic technology to achieve incredible speeds. These are speeds up to five times faster than sound – about 6,125 km/h, allowing one to travel from New York to Los Angeles in approximately 30 minutes. The American space agency is working on developing hypersonic vehicles that can be deployed selectively and reach space. These are intended to be reusable multiple times, laying the foundation for commercial high-speed flight. Looking towards the year 2050, NASA plans to realize a reusable hypersonic vehicle that could serve as part of a two-stage space launch system. Interestingly, the first man-made object to achieve hypersonic speeds was sent into space as early as 1949. This was a WAC Corporal sounding rocket, which burned up upon re-entry into the atmosphere. In 1961, Air Force Major Robert White set new standards by flying at speeds over Mach 4, 5, and 6 in the rocket-powered X-15. International interest in this technology is also significant. Chinese scientists reported a 2021 test flight with an extraordinary aircraft design that was recently revealed. Russia is even using this immense speed militarily, as reported in the context of the Ukraine conflict. Among the companies at the forefront of this development is Rocket Lab, which successfully conducted a suborbital flight to test this technology in November. The use of commercial launch services, stated George Rumford, is crucial to advancing development at low costs and testing components in a timely manner.