The POT and Boeing will work together on the project Sustainable Flight Demonstrator to build, test and fly a single-aisle aircraft that cuts emissions this decadeaccording to an announcement from the US space agency on Wednesday, January 18.
Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, said in the statement quoted on the NASA website CNN: “From the beginning, NASA has been with you when you fly. NASA has dared to go further, faster, higher. And by doing so, NASA has made aviation more sustainable and reliable. It’s in our DNA”.
“Our goal is that NASA’s partnership with Boeing to produce and test a full-scale demonstrator will help create future commercial aircraft that are more fuel efficient, with benefits for the environment, the commercial aviation industry and passengers around the world. If we are successful, we may see these technologies in aircraft that the public will take to the skies in the 2030s.”.
When will the tests start?
The design that NASA and Boeing are working on could reduce fuel consumption and emissions up to 30% compared to today’s most efficient aircraftaccording to the agency.
The concept was named Transonic Truss-Braced Wing, which is based on thin, elongated wings stabilized by diagonal struts that connect the wings to the aircraft. The shape of the designo Creates less drag, which means you burn less fuel.
The first test flight of this experimental aircraft will take place in 2028. The goal is for the technology to serve about 50 percent of the commercial market via short- to medium-haul single-aisle aircraft, Nelson said.
Airlines rely heavily on single-aisle aircraft, which account for nearly half of global aviation emissions, according to NASA.
The development of new technology to reduce fuel use can support the goal of the administration of the president of the United States, Joe Bidento achieve net zero carbon emissions from aviation by 2050, as set out in that country’s Aviation Climate Action Plan.
