Premgenius Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 TOKYO - Japan's space agency plans to launch an arrow-shaped airplane at twice the speed of sound high over the Australian outback as early as next month in a crucial test of the country's push to develop a supersonic successor to the retired Concorde. The test follows a three-year hiatus since the first experimental flight of the unmanned aircraft, dubbed the next-generation supersonic transport, prematurely separated from its booster rocket and crashed into the desert. "We've made some improvements so that won't happen again," Takaaki Akuto, a spokesman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, said Tuesday in Tokyo. "This is a pretty important test." A successful mission will pave the way for additional experiments as JAXA aims to develop a plane that can carry 300 passengers at Mach 2, or twice the speed of sound, making the run from Tokyo to Los Angeles in about four hours. It will also underpin a June agreement between Japan and France to jointly research such a plane over the next three years. JAXA will launch the experimental craft, piggybacked on a rocket, at Australia's Woomera test range between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15, Akuto said. The rocket will carry the plane to an altitude of 12.4 miles before releasing it at a speed of Mach 2 to collect information about the plane's aerodynamics. The craft will float back to earth by parachute after the 15 minute flight. If the 1.1 billion yen ($10 million) experiment works, Japan's space agency plans to follow up with similar tests of a jet-powered craft, Kyodo News Agency reported. Japanese and French defense contractors and engineering companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., agreed earlier this summer to split an annual research budget of about $1.84 million over the next three years to develop a faster-than-sound plane. A breakthrough in supersonic flight could help Japan leap ahead in the aerospace field. The country, which does much of parts manufacturing for U.S.-based Boeing Co., has only a limited domestic airplane industry. Among the hurdles are two difficulties that plagued the Concorde, jet-engine noise and high fuel consumption. Japan has already successfully tested an engine that can theoretically reach speeds of up to Mach 5.5, or more than five times the speed of sound. Japanese companies slated to participate in the French joint venture include Japan Aircraft Development Corp., a non-profit consortium; government's space agency Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. French companies will be European Aeronautic Defence and Space and Safran Group, formerly Snecma-Sagem. The Concorde first flew in 1969 and became a symbol of French and European industrial acumen. But the planes were retired from commercial service in October 2003, never having recouped the billions of tax dollars invested in them. The Concorde exploded in flames after takeoff from Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris on July 25, 2000, and slammed into a hotel. The accident, which killed the 109 people on board, presaged an end to the career of the sleek but costly supersonic aircraft. Japan hopes to have a successor making regular flights by 2020. SOURCE: Yahoo! News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 mach 5.5! This is just another step towards space tourism also, as well as faster flying times for travellers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shibby Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 IT's all very great but the main reason concorde retired was the cost of maintaining it. And i don't think they will be another affordable plane like concorde for at least 10-20 years. Airbus currently near on finishing the a380 and thats pretty costy to research. And it's been put in to the contracts that if airbus can not supply before the agreed date then the likes of quntas can take them to court and get money from it. Currently i think spanish something is doing this. My dad company is most likey going to go down as they are doing the fuel pumps for a380 and been having alot of electrical problems with the pumps which has also delayed the production. Even when the first test flight happend the testers didn't know the main fuel pumps where not switched on and if they was they would not function correctly :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wak1zashi Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Dam. One fast plane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzla Veteran Posted August 24, 2005 Veteran Share Posted August 24, 2005 Thread like this demands images: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowPHP Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 How fast did Concorde travel in terms of 'Mach'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 How fast did Concorde travel in terms of 'Mach'? 586427351[/snapback] Mach 2), 1350 mph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commodore Max Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Just watch that one will crash too ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnerhkjp Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Speed of passenger jets have stayed the same for too long. Its about time someone made a faster plane. I can't stand long flights. I don't want bigger planes, I want them faster. ...and cheaper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mad_onion Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Just watch that one will crash too ... 586428889[/snapback] the one nasa made did work the second time it flew just fine. but personally i have more faith in this project (i just like japan) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dh5 Posted September 10, 2005 Share Posted September 10, 2005 Concorde usually cruised at Mach 2.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idoia Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 (edited) I can't stand long flights.? I don't want bigger planes, I want them faster. 586429503[/snapback] Ask then Boeing why they scratched the Sonic Cruiser from their plans? OutcomeIn the end, most airlines favored lower operating costs over a marginal increase in speed, and the project did not attract the interest Boeing had been hoping for. In fall 2002, Boeing released artwork of a notional "7E7" concept aircraft, which would become the Boeing 787. The Sonic Cruiser project was finally abandoned by December 2002, in favor of the slower but fuel-efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Translation : * No one wanted a super sonic plane * They want low fuel-consuming / economic planes (the B-787) or solutions to carry more passengers (the A-380) ; being more efficient than a B-747 or a 777 *with oil prices going to the sky, hhhrrmmm and with super sonic planes likely to consume lots of fuel, hhrrrmmmm I don't know... Edited September 13, 2005 by idoia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felinix_Devotion Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Sod Supersonic I want hypersonic mac 10 baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orange Posted September 13, 2005 Share Posted September 13, 2005 Concorde :wub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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