NASA's new X-plane successor Concorde

washington/bethesda - Since the disappearance of the legendary Concorde in 2003, there has been no supersonic passenger plane. But if it is up to NASA, that will change.

The American space agency has commissioned aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin this week to develop a device that goes faster than the sound, but without 'sonic boom', the deafening bang that accompanies the break through of the sound barrier.

With the so-called X-plane, a flight from New York to London would only take three hours. The aircraft has to fly at a height of more than 16 kilometers with a cruising speed of 1500 kilometers per hour.

The order involves an amount of 202 million euros. The aim is for the supersonic jet to conduct its first test flights in 2021 over inhabited areas in the US, to determine if the noise level is acceptable. According to NASA, breaking the sound barrier will not sound any louder than the closing of a car door. Flights with passengers are not provided before 2035.

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