[imagesource: Hypersonix Launch Systems]

A new design for a hypersonic spaceplane called ‘Delta Velos’ sounds like something straight out of a science fiction film.

And even though the project is still super far from actually becoming a reality, Australia-based Hypersonix Launch Systems, which has a foothold in the superspeed aeronautics industry, has secured a US patent for key features of its green hydrogen-powered jet design.

As The Cool Down notes, the hypersonic spaceplane in development could help usher in a new era in space technology, able to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 90 minutes at Mach 12 speed while producing zero pollution.

For context, that’s 12 times the speed of sound.

The 12-metre-long craft would have a 3.5-metre wingspan and may also transform how satellites and other payloads are carried to space.

Image: Hypersonix Launch Systems

Delta Velos has been in the works for five years and Hypersonix is confident in its ability to reach any orbit from any launch site while also being scalable and ready for missions in days.

The company says the vehicle, powered by “fifth-generation scramjet engines” and made of ceramic matrix composites with a high strength-to-weight ratio and thermal shock resistance, will be reusable, creating a cost-effective, sustainable solution to what are now dirty energy–fueled space technology endeavors.

The biggest game-changer might be the four engines, though, should they run on green hydrogen. The teams plan to install four green hydrogen-fuelled scramjet engines to power the Delta Velos.

Four scramjet engines might seem OTT, but when an aircraft aims to cross the Atlantic in 90 minutes, it needs all the help it can get.

Delta Velos will also feature several 3-D-printed fixed geometry to help reduce the overall weight while making it durable enough.

While this engineering feat would be more than a step up from solar panels, it’s in the same vein as industries, governments, and the wealthy need to drive divestment from the burning of coal, oil, and gas, which pollutes the environment and envelops Earth in gases that superheat the planet and harm our health.

Hypersonix inaugurated the project back in 2019, and there haven’t been many updates since then. Honestly, the spaceplane is far from being ready for production, but it’s making credible progress.

[source:thecooldown]