The rocket-powered hypersonic plane SpaceLiner, designed by the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Space Systems, aims to send passengers from Europe to Australia in 90 minutes by 2050
The futuristic vehicle would do so by riding
a rocket into Earth's upper atmosphere, reaching 24 times the speed of
sound before gliding in for a landing.
Many challenges still remain, including finding the right shape for the
vehicle, said Martin Sippel, project coordinator for SpaceLiner at the
German Aerospace Center. But he suggested the project could make enough
progress to begin attracting private funding in another 10 years and aim
for full operations by 2050.
The current concept includes a rocket booster stage for launch and a
separate orbiter stage to carry passengers halfway around the world
without ever making it to space. Flight times between the U.S. and
Europe could fall to just over an hour if the SpaceLiner takes off —
that is, if passengers don't mind paying the equivalent of space tourism prices around several hundred thousand dollars per trip.
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