Technology
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More than 20 years after the death of Concorde, a new contender is set to attempt supersonic speeds in its first test flight later today. Even better, you can watch the action live through a streamed video.
Boom’s XB-1 test vehicle is scheduled to start its historic first supersonic test flight at approximately 08:00 am local California time (11:00 am EST / 4:00 pm GMT) on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Bear in mind that the time and date are subject to change depending on weather conditions and other safety issues.
The live-streamed broadcast video – available here on the Boom website – will start around 15 minutes before take-off.
Boom has been working its way up this moment for over a decade. It will be XB-1’s 12th test flight, the last of which saw the experimental plane whip up top speeds of Mach 0.95, just short of the sound barrier, with a maximum altitude of 8,985 meters (29,481 feet).
XB-1 is only the beginning of the vision, though. The experimental jet is a “demonstrator aircraft” that’s being used to inform the design and development of Overture, Boom’s envisioned supersonic airliner intended for commercial operations. Although the Overture aircraft is still in the early stages of development, the company proposes it could emerge as a more eco-friendly successor to Concorde, the iconic supersonic passenger jet capable of cruising at Mach 2.
Concorde carried paying passengers from 1976 to 2003 but ultimately failed due to the rising costs of supersonic travel and declining demand for seats. Its fate was further sealed by the tragic crash of Air France Flight 4590 in 2000, which claimed 113 lives. Additionally, the distinctive pointy-nosed jet consumed significant amounts of fossil fuels and produced high levels of pollution – issues that Boom is determined to address and overcome.
If this week’s test flight succeeds, it will mark another key milestone in achieving this dream.
“Having worked toward this moment for over a decade, this feels surreal," Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on January 25.
“This is supersonic flight's 'Falcon 1' moment. XB-1's supersonic flight marks the first time a supersonic jet has come from something other than a nation-state,” Scholl added.
“In some ways, crewed supersonic flight is harder than orbit: with a human onboard, failure is not an option. We wanted to build our safety technology and culture, [so] we designed XB-1 without an ejection seat. There are literally no outs – the airplane must land safely.”
“It will still be a few years before we welcome the return of the first supersonic passenger. Success is far from guaranteed. Yet, there's more reason than ever to be excited and optimistic," Scholl added.
Godspeed and good luck!
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