This new plane can revolutionise air travel. It can make it possible for you to travel the world in half the time. Here's more.

New aircraft can travel faster than speed of sound

As the 20th anniversary of Concorde's final flight approaches, the world of ultrafast air travel is poised to enter a new phase. It is poised on the verge of&nbsp;a revolution in aviation, with suborbital and supersonic technologies offering the potential to dramatically reduce global travel times, ushering in a new era of&nbsp;air travel.

Concorde, the first supersonic commercial airliner, was renowned for its remarkable speed, allowing passengers to travel from New York to London in under three hours. However, the high maintenance costs and a high-profile crash in 2000 eventually led to the end of Concorde&nbsp;era.

<h2>Son of Concorde and the future</h2>

Now, NASA's X-59, nicknamed "Son of Concorde"&nbsp;has caught the spotlight with its experimental supersonic aircraft.&nbsp;

The supersonic aircraft, as per a New York Post, may soon be ready for its first test flights, which can potentially reduce the New York to London journey time to about three and a half hours.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-3-successfully-completes-final-earth-orbit-raising-manoeuvre-isro-619262">Chandrayaan-3 successfully completes final Earth orbit-raising manoeuvre: ISRO</a>

While smaller and slower than its predecessor, the X-59 can still reach speeds of 925 mph.&nbsp;

<h2>'Earth to Earth' flights</h2>

While impressive, X-59 is not "it". As per the report, even more, groundbreaking advancements are on the horizon.&nbsp;

According to recent research by Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a flight from London to Sydney, which currently takes 22 hours, could be reduced to just two hours by 2033.&nbsp;

The answer lies in suborbital "Earth to Earth" flights that use rockets to propel passengers up to 125 miles into space at speeds exceeding 3,500 mph. Using rockets similar to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic jet programs, the craft then rapidly descends to the final destination, thereby significantly cutting journey times.

Aviation moguls, and visionaries like Elon Musk, are already investing in suborbital travel.&nbsp;

Musk's SpaceX's in 2020 revealed plans for its Starship rocket to transport 100 passengers between continents in less than an hour.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/webb-telescope-detects-presence-of-water-in-inner-disk-around-young-star-research-619251">Webb Telescope detects presence of water in inner disk around young star: Research</a>

Not only this, recently Chinese company Space Transportation also announced that it intends to conduct suborbital testing with its reusable "rocket with wings," aiming for a test flight by 2024 and a crewed flight by 2025.

They estimate that their suborbital spacecraft called Tianxing I can potentially complete a 4,300-mile (6,920 kilometres) trip in about an hour. &nbsp;

<h2>Potential market and the risks</h2>

The potential market for suborbital flights is immense. As per Switzerland's UBS, if just 5 per cent of the 150 million annual flights lasting over 10 hours transitioned to point-to-point suborbital space travel, the market could exceed $20 billion per year.&nbsp;

UBS estimates that the total value of the subsonic market could reach $805 billion by 2030.

However, despite the prospects, suborbital flights face numerous challenges. Safety remains paramount, particularly given the higher risks associated with rocket propulsion fuels like the liquified natural gas used by Blue Origin, or the liquid oxygen and liquid methane used by Starship — which are more prone to exploding than typical aviation fuel.&nbsp;

Environmental concerns also surround rocket-propelled aircraft, reports New York Post, as their emissions are under little or no regulations.

Another major concern revolves around the impact of G-forces on the human body during launch and reentry. As per Dr Ryan Anderton, the medical lead of the Civil Aviation Authority's space team, While suborbital journeys will be relatively short, "the main challenge faced will be the exposure to G-forces on launch and reentry."&nbsp;

Talking to the post, he said: We know this can affect the flow of blood around the body and to the head and it can sometimes generate abnormal heart rhythms."

&nbsp;

As the 20th anniversary of Concorde's final flight approaches, the world of ultrafast air travel is poised to enter a new phase. It is poised on the verge of a revolution in aviation, with suborbital and supersonic technologies offering the potential to dramatically reduce global travel times, ushering in a new era of air travel.

As the 20th anniversary of Concorde's final flight approaches, the world of ultrafast air travel is poised to enter a new phase. It is poised on the verge of a revolution in aviation, with suborbital and supersonic technologies offering the potential to dramatically reduce global travel times, ushering in a new era of air travel. Concorde, the first supersonic commercial airliner, was renowned for its remarkable speed, allowing passengers to travel from New York to London in under three hours. However, the high maintenance costs and a high-profile crash in 2000 eventually led to the end of Concorde era. Son of Concorde and the future Now, NASA's X-59, nicknamed "Son of Concorde" has caught the spotlight with its experimental supersonic aircraft. The supersonic aircraft, as per a New York Post, may soon be ready for its first test flights, which can potentially reduce the New York to London journey time to about three and a half hours. Also read | Chandrayaan-3 successfully completes final Earth orbit-raising manoeuvre: ISRO While smaller and slower than its predecessor, the X-59 can still reach speeds of 925 mph. 'Earth to Earth' flights While impressive, X-59 is not "it". As per the report, even more, groundbreaking advancements are on the horizon. According to recent research by Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a flight from London to Sydney, which currently takes 22 hours, could be reduced to just two hours by 2033. The answer lies in suborbital "Earth to Earth" flights that use rockets to propel passengers up to 125 miles into space at speeds exceeding 3,500 mph. Using rockets similar to Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic jet programs, the craft then rapidly descends to the final destination, thereby significantly cutting journey times. Aviation moguls, and visionaries like Elon Musk, are already investing in suborbital travel. Musk's SpaceX's in 2020 revealed plans for its Starship rocket to transport 100 passengers between continents in less than an hour. Also read | Webb Telescope detects presence of water in inner disk around young star: Research Not only this, recently Chinese company Space Transportation also announced that it intends to conduct suborbital testing with its reusable "rocket with wings," aiming for a test flight by 2024 and a crewed flight by 2025. They estimate that their suborbital spacecraft called Tianxing I can potentially complete a 4,300-mile (6,920 kilometres) trip in about an hour. Potential market and the risks The potential market for suborbital flights is immense. As per Switzerland's UBS, if just 5 per cent of the 150 million annual flights lasting over 10 hours transitioned to point-to-point suborbital space travel, the market could exceed $20 billion per year. UBS estimates that the total value of the subsonic market could reach $805 billion by 2030. However, despite the prospects, suborbital flights face numerous challenges. Safety remains paramount, particularly given the higher risks associated with rocket propulsion fuels like the liquified natural gas used by Blue Origin, or the liquid oxygen and liquid methane used by Starship — which are more prone to exploding than typical aviation fuel. Environmental concerns also surround rocket-propelled aircraft, reports New York Post, as their emissions are under little or no regulations. Another major concern revolves around the impact of G-forces on the human body during launch and reentry. As per Dr Ryan Anderton, the medical lead of the Civil Aviation Authority's space team, While suborbital journeys will be relatively short, "the main challenge faced will be the exposure to G-forces on launch and reentry." Talking to the post, he said: We know this can affect the flow of blood around the body and to the head and it can sometimes generate abnormal heart rhythms."

Ultrafast air travel soon? NASA's supersonic X-59 and suborbital rockets lead the way

Japan Airlines (JAL) could be the first one that can fly supersonic aircraft, that are going to make a re-entry in the aviation market nearly two decades after the last flight of Concorde.

World Business Watch: Japan's JAL likely to be first one who can fly supersonic plane

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