Watch Boom supersonic jet break sound barrier on path to speed up commercial flights
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Boom Supersonic's XB-1 demonstrator jet became the first U.S.-made civilian supersonic jet to break the sound barrier.
The independently funded XB-1 reached a speed of Mach 1.122, or about 750 mph, during its test flight.
This achievement marks a significant step towards the development of Boom's Overture, a commercial supersonic aircraft designed to carry passengers at twice the speed of current subsonic airliners.
American aerospace startup Boom made history on Tuesday by breaking the sound barrier during the test flight of its Boom Supersonic XB-1 demonstrator jet.
The XB-1's flight, livestreamed from the Mojave Air & Space Port in California, made it the first civil supersonic jet made in the U.S. to break the sound barrier. Manned by Boom Supersonic's chief test pilot Tristan "Geppetto" Brandenburg, the XB-1 launched in the early hours of Tuesday, reaching an altitude of 35,290 feet and accelerating to speed Mach 1.122, or about 750 mph, according to a press statement from Boom.
The measurement "Mach" refers to the speed of an object in relation to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium, with Mach 1 referring to something traveling at the same speed as sound, according to NASA. This means XB-1 traveled at a rate 0.122 faster than the speed of sound.
Because supersonic aircraft have historically been created and used by agencies like governments and militaries, XB-1's supersonic flight is unique in that it marks the first time an independently, privately funded and developed aircraft has broken the sound barrier over the continental U.S. (And it did it three times during the flight.)
'XB-1's supersonic flight demonstrates that the technology for passenger supersonic flight has arrived,' Boom founder and CEO Blake Scholl said in a statement. 'A small band of talented and dedicated engineers has accomplished what previously took governments and billions of dollars."
Big hopes for supersonic airline travel
The XB-1's latest test flight wasn't just for fun - it's another step on the path to developing a commercial supersonic aircraft, a project already named Overture.
"Next, we are scaling up the technology on XB-1 for the Overture supersonic airliner," Scholl said. "Our ultimate goal is to bring the benefits of supersonic flight to everyone.'
The commercial Overture airliners will be able to carry 64 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7, about twice the speed of today's subsonic airliners, meaning a flight could cross the Atlantic in just about 3 1/2 hours.
Boom said it completed construction on its Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, North Carolina, last year. The factory is expected to produce 66 Overture aircraft yearly. According to the company, it already has 130 orders and pre-orders from American Airlines, United Airlines and Japan Airlines.
The sound barrier was first broken on Oct. 14, 1947, according to the U.S. Air Force. That's when Capt. Chuck Yeager and the Bell X-1 rocket-propelled aircraft broke the sound barrier.
Reuters contributed reporting to this story.
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