✈️ A V2500 jet engine running on 100% SAF?

The aviation industry and indeed the world is facing a moment of reckoning.

Engineers are repurposing existing engines to run on SAF, flying taxis might soon become a key provider of short-haul travel, and hydrogen aircraft are increasingly showing promise for shorter flights

This week, we look at a promising SAF engine test on the V2500 jet engine. That engine runs Airbus’ mammoth A320 aircraft fleet, meaning one of the world’s most widely used commercial aircraft could go sustainable.

Elon Musk, meanwhile, has made another wild claim about Starship going interstellar. Will humans ever reach another star system? Let’s find out below.

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AEROSPACE ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

International Aero Engines AG successfully tested its new V2500 jet engine using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

IAE AG’s V2500 engine is widely used in the Airbus A320 family and it has over 30 years in service. It is also used in cargo and military aircraft, making it one of the most widely used engines out there.

“This test with 100% SAF demonstrates that V2500 engines can continue contributing towards making aviation more sustainable in the decades ahead,” explained Kim Kinsley, president of IAE AG and vice president of Mature Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney.

“With nearly 3,000 V2500-powered aircraft in service today, IAE recognizes our important role in supporting the industry’s goal to meet net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. We anticipate the majority of our eight IAE company shops will be prepared to use SAF in their operations in the next few years,” Kinsley added.

Of course, all of this is in line with the aviation industry's goal of producing net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The V2500 engine test was run on 100% Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosine (HEFA-SPK).

According to IAE AG, the V2500 engine “offers the most fuel-efficient propulsion system in its class”. It has up to 3% fuel burn and emissions advantage over previous-generation engines and it is currently approved for operation on SAF blended at up to 50%.

One engine obtaining approval for 100% SAF operation might not change the tide on climate change – widespread reform and global collaboration are required – but it would be an important step in the right direction for the aviation industry.

PODCAST

Last week we asked “Will Starship be ready for a 2026 Moon landing?” here are the results

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Definitelty! (20%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Depends whether the FAA lets it fly more test flights. (60%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I think Starship HLS won’t quite be ready in time. (6%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Spacecraft built to explore the solar system? (14%)

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AERO BULLETIN

This week, Elon Musk made yet another wild claim by stating that SpaceX will one day create an interstellar version of Starship.

For it to be feasible, that Starship would have to be vastly altered. Not only that, it would likely require technology that does not yet exist.

That’s because, according to NASA, a spacecraft powered by today’s fastest and most reliable technology for long-duration space travel, the ion thruster, would take 18,000 years, or approximately 2,700 human generations, to reach Proxima Centauri.

Building a spacecraft that can travel to Proxima Centauri in a relatively short time is a tall order. But a couple of organizations are, in fact, working on interstellar spacecraft concepts.

Breakthrough Starshot

Breakthrough Starshot was founded in 2016 with the goal of developing a small light sail and laser-powered probe that could travel at a fifth of the speed of light. At that speed, it could reach Proxima Centauri in roughly 20 years.

Breakthrough Starshot was co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Yuri Milner, and Stephen Hawking, though it is currently unclear whether the project is still going ahead or if it’s on hold

Lightsail swarm mission

Space Initiatives Inc. and the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) proposed the Swarming Proxima Centauri concept, which was recently selected for Phase I development as part of this year's NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.

It uses a similar concept to Breakthrough Starshot. Instead of one laser-powered lightsail, though, it aims to send a whole swarm of them. This would help with navigation, while also allowing them mission to beam better-quality data back to Earth.