✈️ A new era of supersonic flight?

Boom Supersonic could usher in a new era of commercial supersonic flight with its Overture aircraft. The company recently completed a successful flight test without a hitch.

Things haven’t always been easy for the company, though. In 2022, it parted ways with Rolls-Royce, which had been helping it develop the engine for Overture – an aircraft it’s touting as the spiritual successor to the Concorde.

Speaking of acrimonious separations, Boeing is suing Virgin Galactic after a partnership between the two broke down. When massive amounts of money are involved, things can get ugly. Who would have thought? More on all of that below.

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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

Boom Supersonic, the company trying to usher in a new era of supersonic flight, performed a successful flight test of its demonstrator aircraft.

The XB-1, successfully completed a flight at the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California, on March 22. The flight was completed by Boom’s test pilot, Bill Shoemaker.

“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947,” said Blake Scholl, founder, and CEO of Boom Supersonic, explained in a press statement.

The XB-1 is essentially a testbed for technology that will be used on its commercial Overture aircraft. These include carbon fiber composites, sophisticated avionics, digitally tuned aerodynamics, as well as an advanced supersonic propulsion system.

According to Boom, the XB-1 flight test achieved all of its objectives, including reaching a height of 7,120 feet and a top speed of 238 knots (273 mph).

Boom Supersonic set out to change the way we travel. To do so, it will have to convince passengers that supersonic airliners are safe. The iconic Concorde aircraft was, of course, discontinued in 2003 after a tragic accident in Paris.

In 2021, Boom’s Senior VP Brian Durrence said the company aims to “remove the barriers to experiencing the planet.” However, the company hit a hurdle in 2022, when Rolls-Royce decided to stop working with Boom, stating that “the commercial aviation supersonic market is not currently a priority.” Rolls-Royce had been collaborating with Boom on its engine design. Shortly afterward, Boom announced it would develop its own engine in-house.

Now that Boom Supersonic has a successful demonstrator flight test under its belt, things are looking up. New York to London in approximately three hours could be a real possibility in the not-too-distant future.

PODCAST

Last week we asked “Which technologies will have the biggest environmental impact?” here are the results

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Electric and hybrid aircraft(30%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Hydrogen-powered planes(40%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ eVTOL flying taxis(7%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Repurposed SAF engines(23%)

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AERO BULLETIN

Space contracts can be worth an enormous amount. NASA’s contract with SpaceX for a modified Starship lunar lander, for example, is worth $2.9 billion.

It’s no wonder, then, that space companies are extremely litigious when such massive contracts are on the line. Here are some of the biggest aerospace lawsuits in recent memory.

Boeing sues Virgin Galactic for retaining trade secrets

Just this week, news broke that Boeing was suing Virgin Galactic. The aerospace giant had partnered with Virgin Galactic on developing a new mothership.

When that partnership expired, Virgin Galactic allegedly kept trade secrets it was contractually obliged to destroy. Very naughty.

Boeing faces a shareholder lawsuit over safety issues

That’s not to say Boeing is a squeaky-clean organization. Far from it. Earlier this year, Boeing ​​shareholders filed a class-action lawsuit against the company.

In it, they alleged that Boeing had prioritized profits over passenger safety. This led to a mid-air panel blowout during a flight, as well as several other recent high-profile safety issues.

Blue Origin points the finger at NASA

Perhaps the most high-profile aerospace lawsuit of recent times was filed by Blue Origin against NASA. After NASA awarded SpaceX that $2.9 billion lunar lander contract, Blue Origin argued the space agency had wrongly awarded SpaceX the contract.

In other words, it was saying its own lunar lander program deserved the contract. A few months after the initial lawsuit was filed, it was struck down in court, and SpaceX was allowed to continue work on its Starship lunar lander.