What is Hypersonic Flight (Simplified)

Looking to understand the basics of hypersonic flight? You're in the right place.

Table of Contents

• How Hypersonic Flight Works: Breaking It Down

• Who’s Leading the Hypersonic Charge?

• Challenges Hypersonic Flight Faces

• The Future of Hypersonic Flight

Alright, so here’s the deal with hypersonic flight: it’s what happens when you take a jet speed and crank it up to five times the speed of sound.

We’re talking Mach 5 or above, where planes aren’t just flying—they’re ripping through the atmosphere at over 3,800 mph.

To put it in perspective, a commercial jet zips along at around Mach 0.8.

Imagine going from New York to Tokyo faster than it takes to binge a Netflix series.

How Hypersonic Flight Works: Breaking It Down

At the heart of hypersonic flight are aerodynamics and propulsion, which can handle extreme heat and speed.

Here’s how it goes down:

• Scramjets Are the Engines: Instead of relying on old-school jet engines, hypersonic planes use scramjets, which have no moving parts—just raw speed compressing the air to fuel the fire. Sometimes they get a boost from rockets to hit those insane speeds, and from there, scramjets take over.

• Built to Survive the Heat: Going hypersonic means you’re pushing through a whole lot of atmosphere, which creates, well, fire-level heat. These aircraft are built with heat-resistant materials that don’t melt on impact, keeping everything (and everyone) inside from going up in flames.

• Aerodynamic Artistry: A vehicle traveling this fast can’t have a hair out of place, literally. Any slight shape irregularity messes with the airflow, so hypersonic craft are sleek and barely-there streamlined to handle the extreme forces

Who’s Leading the Hypersonic Charge?

Military & Defense

The military has been one of the biggest investors in hypersonic tech, aiming to develop hypersonic missiles, jets, and other vehicles that could make traditional defense systems nearly obsolete. Imagine a missile that can reach any point on the globe in under an hour—this is why countries like the United States, China, and Russia are all racing to develop hypersonic capabilities. Hypersonic weapons could be the ultimate “got there first” move. Imagine missiles that reach targets anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

Enterprise Commercial Interest

While still in the concept stage, there’s interest in hypersonic passenger travel. Companies like Virgin Galactic and Boeing are looking into hypersonic flight as a way to cut travel time between major cities to a fraction of today’s standards. New York to Tokyo in under two hours? It might just be on the horizon. It would also redefine global travel. Here are some other larger companies working on hypersonic flight:

• SpaceX

• Virgin Galactic

• Boeing

• Blue Origin

• Rolls-Royce

• BAE Systems

• Reaction Engines

• Venus Aerospace

Startups in Hypersonic

Some of the most exciting innovations are coming from startups building in this space. These startups are redefining speed, each carving out its own path in the race to hypersonic innovation.

Here’s who’s blazing the trail:

Hermeus Corporation
Atlanta’s own Hermeus is gearing up to test Quarterhorse, a Mach 4+ aircraft set to soar next year. Their main mission? Perfecting the Chimera turbine-based combined cycle engine to fuel future hypersonic travel.

Stratolaunch
With their Mach 6+ Talon-A vehicle, Stratolaunch is ready to make waves this year. This reusable hypersonic testbed is all about pushing forward the next-gen of speed tech.

Hypersonix Launch Systems
Down under, Hypersonix is preparing Dart AE, a testbed crafted with 3D printing and powered by the hydrogen-fueled Spartan scramjet engine, set to fly next year. Australia is bringing the heat in hypersonic innovation!

Destinus
Across the pond, Destinus is going big with plans for not one, but two hypersonic aircraft: a transoceanic passenger jet by the end of the decade and a transglobal hyperplane with capacity for 400 passengers. Europe’s hypersonic ambition is sky-high!

Challenges Hypersonic Flight Faces

Hypersonic flight might feel like Sci-Fi finally stepping off the screen, but the tech but the tech isn’t without its challenges. Here’s what’s slowing down the speed revolution:

• Heat Management: Keeping components cool at hypersonic speeds is tough.

• Control and Stability: High-speed aerodynamics can make vehicles difficult to control.

• Cost and Infrastructure: Hypersonic research and development require a serious investment, from special materials to wind tunnels that simulate Mach 5 conditions and beyond.

The Future of Hypersonic Flight

We’re still in the early stages of making hypersonic travel mainstream. For now, much of the research is happening behind military doors, but the dream of ultra-fast, intercontinental passenger flights isn’t so far-fetched. As advancements continue, we might just see hypersonic tech become part of daily life, reshaping how we think about distance, speed, and our place in a rapidly shrinking world.

In a nutshell? Hypersonic flight is as exciting as it sounds—a blend of physics, engineering, and boundary-pushing ambitions that might just be the key to the next generation of travel and defense. So, keep an eye on the skies—things are about to get fast.