Hypersonic technology is moving fast. Really fast.
“Hypersonic” means flight at Mach 5 or greater, which means you could fly 8,000 miles in 30 minutes.
Engineers at Lockheed Martin say there are four critical challenges they’re working to solve to make routine hypersonic flight possible:
• Heat: developing tough but lightweight materials to withstand friction and wind resistance.
• Advanced materials: creating composite materials for extreme environments.
• Maneuverability: enabling agility at high speeds.
• Communications: ensuring continuous connectivity.
Much like the space race did for a generation, hypersonics is capturing the imaginations of young aerospace engineers. You can read one engineer’s story here.
– Melissa Mathews, The Engineering 100