Three years ago the first attempt ended in a fiery crash in the Australian Outback.
But on Monday Japan successfully tested a revolutionary design for a supersonic airliner to replace the Concorde.
A scale model of an airliner that would carry 300 passengers at twice the speed of sound was launched from the Woomera test site in the outback with the aid of a rocket shortly after dawn, Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) said.
In the test, the 11,5m scale model of the 104m aircraft separated from the rocket at around 18 000m and glided at Mach 2 (2 450km/h) for about 15 minutes.
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| The scale model veered wildly out of control |
The multi-million dollar test aircraft landed safely by parachute, Jaxa spokesperson Mayuni Onodera said.
In the first attempt at Woomera in July 2002, the rocket carrying the scale model veered wildly out of control after take-off and crashed in flames.
The trial put to the test the aerodynamic design of an aircraft intended to fly twice the distance and seat three times the number of passengers as Concorde, the iconic Anglo-French jet that was retired in 2003.
"The scaled experimental supersonic transport test has finished successfully," Kimio Sakata, director of the flight trial operation at Jaxa, said.
Designers hope a commercial version of the National Experimental Supersonic Transport (Nexst) will be less polluting and less noisy than the Concorde, which flew at a similar speed.
| A commercial version could be 15 years away |
Greater seating capacity and lower prices would also make it available to ordinary travellers instead of just the rich and famous who were regulars on the Concorde.
The aircraft could cut hours off inter-continental travel, halving the flight time between Tokyo and New York.
However, researchers cautioned that the successful test was only one step and a new supersonic commercial aircraft was still a long way off.
"We could accumulate data on aerodynamic design technology in the test, but it is not enough to start an international joint development programme," said Koji Izumi, chief engineer of Jaxa.
Asked when a commercial version could be available, Sakata said it could be 15 years away.
"We are seeking to have airfare costing the level now of business class once it's commercialised, but that requires technology of longer distance transportation and of flights with more cargo," said Sakata.
Monday's test launch cost roughly $111-million (about R725-million) and many times that amount will have to be spent before commercialisation. - Sapa-AFP
- This article was originally published on page 10 of The Star on October 11, 2005
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