(Bloomberg) -- Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. signed an accord with engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc to collaborate on technology to power a plane to three times the speed of sound.
The recruitment of Rolls-Royce, which provided the engines for Concorde, the world’s only civil-certified supersonic aircraft to date, is aimed at devising a propulsion system that’s both cutting-edge and sustainable, Virgin Galactic Chief Space Officer George Whiteside said in a statement Monday.
The Spaceship Company, Virgin Galactic’s manufacturing division, is seeking to develop a Mach 3 delta-winged aircraft that would fly at an altitude above 60,000 feet and carry between nine and 16 people in a premium cabin, while taking off and landing like any other passenger plane at existing airports.
The deal with Rolls-Royce comes after the program cleared a mission-concept review that included representatives from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration authorized work on outlining a certification framework for the plane.
The next step will involve developing the design, deciding which materials to use, and meeting challenges such as lowering noise and emissions, as well as ensuring that the plan is economically viable, Virgin Galactic said.
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