CNN reports “Japan launches supersonic test flight” about a test in Australia of the a new model of supersonic jet under development by the Japanese and French.
Japan conducted a successful test flight of a supersonic jet in the Australian outback on Monday, taking a step closer to its goal of developing a successor to the Concorde.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the prototype supersonic jet was launched on the back of a rocket from the remote Woomera rocket range in the South Australian desert and completed a 15-minute flight.
Japanese developers hope that a new supersonic jet could some day make the trip from Tokyo to New York in just under six hours — less than half the current time.
“We were able to conduct a test flight and to gather data as planned. We think we have marked a major step in the development of (supersonic flight) technology,” Kimio Sakata, executive director of JAXA, told reporters in Tokyo via audio link from Australia.
Since the Concorde was shut down, dreams of supersonic flight continue to develop. This test saw the jet climbed to about 20 km (12 miles) above the Earth on the back of the rocket and then detached. It reached around twice the speed of sound and glided back to Earth using parachutes, returning fairly unharmed. It will be studied as part of the ongoing research.
Estimates are that this new supersonic jet would travel at Mach 2 and carry 300 passengers, which is 3 times as many as the Concorde.
