Supersonic travel is coming back!
In this column, I highlight important macro topics, new technologies, productivity tips - effectively, things that move humanity forward (or in some cases, prevent us from moving forward).
Today, we examine a fascinating startup, Boom Technology, with over $150 mn in funding that's working on Overture, a Mach 2.2 (2,300 km/h), 55-passenger supersonic transport jet with 8,300 km of range, to be introduced in 2025. With 500 viable routes, there could be a market for 1,000 supersonic airliners with business class fares. It had gathered 76 commitments by December 2017. It would be built with composite materials and the latest technologies that can help achieve supersonic flight at a much lower cost than the Concorde.
Now the question is whether the world needs a jet that will fly you from New York to London in 3 hours, instead of 8 hours. The proposed initial price will match current business class fares, which again makes it a solution to a seemingly first-world problem. However, CEO, Blake Scholl is quick to clarify that the vision is to do a Tesla-type evolution from expensive initial product to eventual mass product. The aim is to get from anywhere to anywhere in the world in 4 hours at $100! Now, that's an exciting future to work towards!
More in this Wired article