Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 prototype aircraft hits mach 1

Boom Supersonic successfully tested its XB-1 prototype aircraft at supersonic speed, making it the first privately built commercial aircraft to surpass the speed of sound. The event occurred in the Mojave Desert, north of Lancaster, California. Touted as the next-generation successor to the Concorde, the XB-1 marks a significant leap forward in the evolution of supersonic aviation. It was a project that VoxelMatters followed since its early days, and it has been enabled by intensive AM for both polymer tooling and final metal parts.

Boom Supersonic has confirmed that the XB-1, which they describe as the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet, broke the sound barrier during its test flight, not once but three times. The aircraft traversed the Bell X-1 Supersonic Corridor and the Black Mountain Supersonic Corridor, both located over the Mojave Desert and explicitly designated for high-speed aviation testing. Under ideal conditions, a sonic boom caused by an aircraft exceeding the speed of sound can be heard as far as 30 miles away.

Boom Supersonic provided a live stream of the flight, allowing viewers worldwide to experience this groundbreaking moment. The livestream was hosted by Mike Bannister, the former Chief Concorde Pilot for British Airways, along with Nick Sheryka, XB-1’s Chief Flight Test Engineer, and Greg Krauland, a Boom adviser and former Chief Engineer.

To enable live event coverage, Boom Supersonic has partnered with SpaceX to use a $500 Starlink Mini Antenna mounted on a Northrop T-38 chase aircraft. This technology ensured incredible high-quality video streaming of the flight, even at supersonic speeds and varying altitudes. The compact design of the Starlink Mini Antenna was crucial, as it fits into the T-38’s rear cockpit without impeding safety features, such as the ejection seat. While the antenna has been paired with an aviation data plan to avoid speed caps, some uncertainty remains about its performance under the demanding conditions of supersonic flight.

The XB-1, also known as the “Baby Boom,” is more than just a prototype. It serves as a critical testing platform for the technologies incorporated into Boom’s future Overture airliner, which aims to bring environmentally sustainable and economically feasible supersonic passenger travel back to commercial aviation. After the Concorde ceased operations in 2003, supersonic travel seemed to vanish from the skies. Boom Supersonic is now working to fill that void, with the XB-1 paving the way for this ambitious endeavor.