Hypersonic ‘jumbo jet ROCKET’ hits 5,000mph in major step toward goal of flying passengers anywhere on Earth in 60mins
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A ROCKET jet has hit a dizzying new speed of over 5,000mph - with hopes the project will one day be able to take passengers anywhere in the world in just 60 minutes. Scientists behind the Chinese aircraft announced on December 10 that the test plane had reached a speed more than six times the speed of sound (Mach 6.56).
![[Concept art of the miraculous aircraft]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NINTCHDBPICT000957214009.jpg?strip=all&w=550)
Amazing test footage shows the prototype launching rapidly into the air with trail of fire following its ascent. The speedy jet reached a staggering 5,033mph. Cui Kai, the project’s leader revealed the plane's enormous speed could take passengers from Beijing to New York in two hours instead of the current 12 to 14.
![[The plane aims to take people into near-space]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/d9825521-0600-4f63-b9a7-c3ed969508d2.jpg?strip=all&w=416)
Cui said in an October speech announcing the technology: "At the time, everyone thought it was a crazy idea. “We faced almost universal scepticism. Fortunately, we chose to persevere. "I always believed that innovation thrives amid doubt. “The moment I saw that small aircraft soar into the sky, the sense of achievement and pride was truly indescribable.".
![[The jet can be seen blasting off on a 20 minute test flight]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/ff59426f-e815-403c-ada5-579875970812.jpg?strip=all&w=450)
The imposing plane features a fat and round fuselage and cape-shaped wings on its back. This means that in the future, hypersonic aircraft could carry just as many passengers or as much cargo as today’s jumbo jets. They carried out the test flight at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert of northwest China in August 2021, and was kept secret until now.
![[The project's leader stressed this was just the first step]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/26f29a59-4bcf-48bf-8c7d-fa13e2a1a688_205f70.jpg?strip=all&w=604)
The monumental breakthrough for aviation hasn't just solved a speed issue, but an issue of logistical space inside the aircraft. All hypersonic aircraft now capable of flying at speeds above Mach 5 have severely limited internal space, restricting their use to military applications such as missiles and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft.
![[The Concorde faced several problems including engine costs and overheating]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NINTCHDBPICT000957203840_498293.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
