NASA is stepping up its efforts to make hypersonic flight testing more affordable and accessible, with two new awards aimed at collaborating with industry experts. As part of this push, the agency is seeking out innovative ways to evaluate new technologies and bridge the gap between ground and flight tests.
The focus here lies in developing "airbreathing," reusable hypersonic aircraft that can take in air while flying, allowing for sustained cruising at speeds five times that of sound. This technology has garnered significant commercial interest, with NASA looking to identify new methods for evaluating these innovations through flight tests.
Two major companies – SpaceWorks Enterprises and Stratolaunch – have been awarded contracts worth $1.4 million and $500,000 respectively to support six-month studies on modifying existing vehicles to meet the need for reusable, high-cadence, affordable flight-testing capabilities.
The work being undertaken by these two companies will help NASA define the necessary capabilities to achieve its flight test requirements, a crucial step towards advancing commercial hypersonic vehicles. The ultimate goal here is to drive revolutionary advancements in fundamental airbreathing hypersonic technologies.
According to Dr. Nateri Madavan, director of NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles Program, the agency sees these awards as an opportunity to work closely with industry experts to address the challenges associated with reusable, routine, airbreathing hypersonic flight.
The focus here lies in developing "airbreathing," reusable hypersonic aircraft that can take in air while flying, allowing for sustained cruising at speeds five times that of sound. This technology has garnered significant commercial interest, with NASA looking to identify new methods for evaluating these innovations through flight tests.
Two major companies – SpaceWorks Enterprises and Stratolaunch – have been awarded contracts worth $1.4 million and $500,000 respectively to support six-month studies on modifying existing vehicles to meet the need for reusable, high-cadence, affordable flight-testing capabilities.
The work being undertaken by these two companies will help NASA define the necessary capabilities to achieve its flight test requirements, a crucial step towards advancing commercial hypersonic vehicles. The ultimate goal here is to drive revolutionary advancements in fundamental airbreathing hypersonic technologies.
According to Dr. Nateri Madavan, director of NASA's Advanced Air Vehicles Program, the agency sees these awards as an opportunity to work closely with industry experts to address the challenges associated with reusable, routine, airbreathing hypersonic flight.
This is all about bridging the gap between innovation and practicality, you know? It's like trying to catch a speeding bullet - if we can make it more affordable & accessible, then who knows what kind of game-changers we'll unleash on this world? 
The key here is collaboration, folks. NASA needs people from all walks of life to help figure out how to test these crazy-fast planes without breaking the bank or sacrificing safety. It's a big challenge, but if they succeed, it could be a real paradigm shift for transportation & beyond...
, Stratolaunch is cool too but they kinda have a weird history with their rockets 
. Anyways, I'm curious to see what kind of innovations come out of this project - are we gonna start seeing hypersonic flights in the next 10 years? 
but the goal is to make this tech more viable for commercial use so fingers crossed 
. It's crazy to think about how far we've come already, but there's still so much work to be done 
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) and come up with new solutions that can meet the demands of these new technologies.
It's not! NASA is actually making it happen and they're trying to make it more affordable and accessible for industries to get in on the action too! 
They're giving contracts to companies like SpaceWorks Enterprises and Stratolaunch to work on modifying existing vehicles to meet their needs. This is a big deal, folks! It's not just about the tech itself, but about how we can use it for good (like faster travel times 
! With NASA making it easier for them to collaborate with industry experts, I think we're gonna see some major breakthroughs in hypersonic tech 
And with companies like SpaceWorks Enterprises and Stratolaunch on board, I think we're in for some exciting times ahead 
but at the same time, we need to think about the risks involved - what if this tech falls into the wrong hands? or what if it causes some serious environmental damage? 
it's all about finding that balance between progress and caution, you know? 
And now NASA is making it more affordable and accessible, which is awesome. I remember when I was a kid, we had just started learning about the space program in school and it was like, whoa, this is real! 
NASA is on a mission to make hypersonic flight testing more affordable and accessible 
. And who doesn't love the idea of flying at five times the speed of sound? 
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. This is gonna be huge for commercial hypersonic vehicles! 
. Can't wait to see what kinda cool tech comes out of this! 
. this whole airbreathing thing is seriously exciting, imagine the innovations they'll come up with!
. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we know this tech can be expensive, but let's work with industry experts to figure out ways to make it more cost-effective." I mean, who wouldn't want a plane that can fly at five times the speed of sound? That's like flying on steroids! 
I'm hyped to see what kind of tech comes out of this partnership. And the fact that NASA is putting a focus on "airbreathing" reusable aircraft is giving me life! 