UK-led plan to build 4,000mph hypersonic plane ‘The Sabre' that flies on edge of space going from London to NY in 60mins
With a breakthrough design and cutting-edge technology, "The Sabre" will be able to fly at a speed of Mach 5 (4000mph) - which is five times the speed of sound.
6
6
6
And engineers are inching closer to putting the state-of-the-art machine in the skies - which could happen as early as 2031.
The £6million plan to develop the jet of the future is called Invictus, which is being led by UK-based Frazer-Nash consultants.
Plans launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) are to develop a fully reusable experimental aircraft that can fly at sustained hypersonic speeds.
It will fly on the edge of space and will also have horizontal takeoff capabilities.
This means that flying time from London to New York will be slashed from seven hours to just 60 minutes.
The Invictus testing vehicle will be upgradable, allowing for the exchange of materials, software and propulsion systems between flight test campaigns.
At the centre of the futuristic technology is a pre-cooler system, which has been tested for the Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (Sabre).
Sabre engines combine aspects of jet and rocket propulsion and can pull oxygen out of the air during flight at lower levels of Earth's atmosphere, increasing efficiency.
While flying at speeds such as Mach 5, overheating and air friction are the main problems.
Pre-cooler systems solve this problem, cooling "the air before it reaches the engine, allowing conventional aircraft engines to travel at hypersonic speeds," Frazer-Nash said in a statement.
Watch moment hypersonic jet 'Quarterhorse' makes first flight in big step towards trips from London to NYC in 90 mins
It is understood that over the next 12 months, the highly-skilled team at Invictus will finish the concept design and develop a full flight system for the aircraft to fly by 2031.
Sarah Wilkes, chief at Frazer-Nash said: "INVICTUS is an exciting opportunity to provide advanced technology for space and advanced capabilities in defence.
"With strong industry support and deep engineering and aerospace expertise, including Frazer-Nash colleagues with a decade of propulsion experience, we have all the right ingredients to make this ambitious vision a reality.'
Tony Forsythe, Head of Space Technology at the UK Space Agency, added: 'This exciting project, made possible by our investments in the European Space Agency, has significant potential to build on advanced cooling and hypersonic propulsion technology developed by UK engineers over many years."
Meanwhile, a hypersonic passenger jet which could take travelers from London to New York City in just one hour is set to arrive as "as soon as the 2030s".
The Venus Stargazer is being developed by Venus Aerospace who revealed that it was planning a flight demo "later this summer".
The company said that thanks to a Nasa-funded breakthrough, the "record-setting" engine system is nearly ready to try out for real.
Venus hopes that its rocket engine will be able to blast passengers around the Earth in record time.
" Stargazer M4 is Earth's first hypersonic, reusable aircraft," Venus Aerospace boasted.
"No one has ever built a hypersonic platform that makes two-hour global transport cost-effective. Until now.
Meanwhile, a massive plane dubbed the 'Skytanic' is set to take to the skies by 2030.
The US is reportedly planning for a 'Son of Blackbird' jet that could become the world's fastest plane.
And another hypersonic jet could whisk passengers from London to Sydney in just two hours.
6
6
6
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Labour's drive to build AI data farms 'will send water bills rocketing' by 30 per cent over next five years, report warns
Prime Minister Keir Starmer 's drive to build huge artificial intelligence data centres will help push up water bills by 30 per cent over the next five years, an independent report warns. The banks of computer equipment needed to advance AI models require huge volumes of water to fuel cooling systems. Ministers will also scrap the regulator Ofwat to make way for a new body to try to tame 'Wild West' water firms after the recommendations. But consumers will also pay the price of tackling future sewage spills and renewing crumbling infrastructure. The report's author – Sir Jon Cunliffe, a former deputy governor of the Bank of England – made 88 recommendations to turn around the ailing industry. His Independent Water Commission review tackles the issues of pollution, soaring bills and staggering pay awards and bonuses for failing company bosses. In the report, he warns that bills will have to rise because of a failure to invest in the sector amid a growing population and climate change. He also says that Labour policies including building 1.5 million more homes and more data centres to power AI will put 'pressure' on the system. The report's author – Sir Jon Cunliffe, (pictured) a former deputy governor of the Bank of England – made 88 recommendations to turn around the ailing industry Sir Jon also recommended the introduction of social tariffs to provide support for customers who are unable to pay their bills. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday: 'The inescapable fact is that it costs more to produce drinking water and it will cost more to deal with our waste water as we go forward. 'When you look at the pressures on the water system – look at population growth [and] we want to have data centres in this country – they put huge demands on water. 'We have to accept them. But we have to plan for them, we have to decide where the priorities are, and we have to decide how to manage the trade-offs. At the moment, that is just not happening.' The report also said that data centres used by AI companies have a 'high water need'. It cited research from Oxford University that argued 'regional water stress must be considered for each data centre'. In January, Sir Keir launched an 'AI Opportunities Action Plan', which welcomed billions in investment from overseas tech companies to build data centres in the UK. Environment Secretary Steve Reed said yesterday that the Government would scrap the watchdog Ofwat, adding that the water industry is 'broken' and has been allowed to fail under a 'regulatory system that let them get away with it'. 'Our rivers, lakes and seas are polluted with record levels of sewage,' he said. He promised to create a 'single, powerful' regulator, bringing the four bodies responsible for water under its control. He also pledged to cut sewage pollution levels in 2024 by half by 2030 through a series of measures including public and private investment.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Forever chemicals in household objects linked to type 2 diabetes, scientists warn
Common 'forever chemicals' found in everyday items like non-stick cookware, food packaging and waterproof clothing could increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research has found. The study adds to a growing body of research pointing to a role of plastic-related 'forever chemicals', also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), in disrupting human metabolism. Researchers in New York analysed health records and blood samples from 360 people, comparing individuals recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to those without. They found that people with higher levels of PFAs in their blood were up to 31 per cent more likely to develop diabetes. PFAS are a class of thousands of human-made chemicals used since the 1940s in stain-resistant furniture, greaseproof food packaging, cosmetics and firefighting foams. They are known for persisting in the environment and the bloodstream, earning them the name 'forever chemicals.' The study showed these chemicals appear to interfere with amino acid biosynthesis and drug metabolism – processes that are critical to the body's blood sugar regulation. 'PFAS are synthetic chemicals that resist heat, oil, water, and stains, and are found in countless everyday consumer products,' said Dr Vishal Midya, senior author of the study and assistant professor of environmental medicine at Mount Sinai 's Icahn School of Medicine. 'Because they don't break down easily, PFAS accumulate in the environment – and in human bodies.' The researchers said their findings point to a need to factor in environmental exposure, not just genetics or lifestyle, when trying to prevent type 2 diabetes. 'Mounting research suggests that PFAS are a risk factor for several chronic diseases, such as obesity, liver disease, and diabetes,' said Dr Damaskini Valvi, associate professor of public health and environmental medicine at Mount Sinai. PFAS have already been linked to several health problems, including cancers, reproductive harm, and immune system suppression. These substances are so widespread that a long-term US government study found 98 per cent of Americans had some amount of PFAs in their blood. While earlier research, including a Harvard study, has linked PFAS to diabetes risk, the Mount Sinai researchers say their study is among the first to explore how these chemicals may disrupt metabolic pathways in diverse, urban populations. The findings come amid global talks on whether limiting PFAS should be included in a forthcoming UN plastics treaty. A growing number of countries, including many in the European Union, have already announced or implemented their own restrictions on PFAs in consumer products.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Activist Elliott grows stake in Equinix, holds talks with company
NEW YORK, July 21 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has a large investment in data center operator Equinix (EQIX.O), opens new tab and has increased its stake in the last weeks, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, after the company's stock price tumbled last month. The hedge fund, which has made a string of profitable technology investments including bets on Salesforce (CRM.N), opens new tab, Texas Instruments (TXN.O), opens new tab and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N), opens new tab, has been holding discussions with Equinix, said the person, who was not permitted to discuss the private talks publicly. Neither Elliott's exact demands for the company nor the exact size of the stake could be learned. Equinix's stock price climbed 1.5% on Monday to close trading at $789.19. Elliott swooped in after Equinix investors were caught off guard at the company's analyst day last month by news of a higher than expected capital expenditure plan that sparked a sharp sell-off. The stock price tumbled 18% in the two trading sessions following the June 25 analysts day, the first for Equinix's new chief executive officer, Adaire Fox-Martin. Demand for data centers is growing as AI adoption grows and analysts have said Equinix is positioned to capture some of the demand. Bloomberg first reported the news of Elliott's investment in Equinix.
