The aerospace company Venus has come one step closer to hypersonic flight.
The company has successfully completed its first test flight, which is theoretically the first on the way to Mach 9.
For comparison: The Concorde could “only” fly at Mach 2.
Sure, we’re still a long way from Mach 9, but this is a positive step.
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The test flight was part of the program Venus is currently working on, with the ultimate goal of developing an aircraft capable of flying at Mach 9.
They call it the Starglazer, and while the aircraft is still in the prototype phase, the technology behind it is being tested in the real world.
From supersonic to hypersonic
Venus Aerospace’s test drone successfully completed its maiden flight this year.
That’s the good news, but the bad news is that this drone can only reach supersonic speeds.
According to Venus, this is the best way to build a Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) capable of flying at supersonic speeds, “cheaply and quickly.”
The test was conducted with a 300-pound drone flying at 12,000 feet at Mach 0.9, or 1,111 km/h.
How does the Starglazer from Venus Aerospace actually work?
Stargazer is designed to use two types of engines, namely a combination of conventional jet engines and rocket engines.
The aircraft would use conventional jet engines to take off, and the rocket engines would not be activated until the aircraft reached an altitude of 170,000 feet.
We should point out that Venus is not the only company working on hypersonic aircraft.
Australian startup Hypersonix is working on an aircraft called Dart AE that could reach Mach 7.
Note that there is a significant difference between Starglazer and Dart AE.
While the former is ideally designed as a test bed for commercial hypersonic flights, the latter is a military project currently being developed in collaboration with the US Department of Defense.
