Supersonic Travel from Texas Promises 55 Minute Flights

Imagine hopping on a plane in New York and landing in Paris less than an hour later. That might sound like crazy talk, but one company in Texas is working to make it real.

Venus Aerospace, a startup based in Houston, is developing a super-fast airplane called the Stargazer. This plane wouldn’t just be fast, it would be hypersonic, flying at speeds up to 4,939 kilometers per hour (that’s over 3,000 miles per hour). At that speed, a trip from New York to London or Paris could take just 55 minutes.

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Texas Plane May Cut NY to Paris Flight Time to 55 Minutes

The secret to this speed isn’t magic, it's a brand-new kind of engine. Instead of using the normal kind of combustion (burning fuel steadily), Venus Aerospace is testing something called a rotating detonation engine. This engine creates controlled explosions that spin around in a circle to push the plane forward. That makes it more powerful and more efficient than traditional engines.

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So far, the company has successfully tested this engine on the ground. If things go according to plan, Venus hopes to launch its hypersonic plane in the early 2030s. The Stargazer would carry up to 12 passengers, so it won’t be like a big commercial airliner. It’s more like a high-tech, super-speed private jet.

It’s not ready yet, but Venus Aerospace is trying to bring the future of flight closer than we ever imagined. One day, going halfway around the world might be quicker than your daily commute to school.