WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2021) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has signed an agreement with a US aerospace company to develop commercial aircraft capable of flying at five or six times the speed of sound (Mach 5 or Mach 6), Hermeus said in a press release on Thursday.
"Hermeus, the aerospace company developing Mach 5 aircraft, announced today the signing of a Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for research and development of high-speed aircraft," the release said.
NASA's most recent hypersonic aircraft was the X-43, an experimental aircraft that flew Mach 9.6 in 2004, the release noted. The partnership will seek to commercialize high-speed flight technology, the release also said.
"Under the agreement, NASA will evaluate technological maturity and exchange subject matter expertise. Both organizations will collaborate on the development of aircraft concepts of operation, including analysis of high-Mach thrust performance, thermal management, integrated power generation, and cabin systems," Hermeus added.
In 2020, Hermeus was selected by the US Air Force to study how Hermeus' Mach 5 aircraft can support the objectives of the Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate, whose fleet includes Air Force One, according to the release.
