‘Extremely exciting’: NASA exploring passenger plane that could travel from New York to London in 90 minutes

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Imagine going from New York to London in 90 minutes. NASA says it’s possible, and they’re starting new research to make supersonic flights the future of air travel.  

"It definitely would be exciting," said Dr. Ken Kremer who’s the founder of Space UpClose which is an online publication specializing in extensive coverage of NASA, space research, and new developments at Kennedy Space Center. 

NASA says supersonic planes could be the future. They travel faster than the speed of sound, cutting down travel time and taking passengers to new heights.

"They’ve given two contracts out to Boeing and Northrop Grumman to look at plane design and other factors," Kremer added. 

Kremer is also a research chemist who’s excited about the advances in aerospace.  

NASA just finished research showing there’s interest in 50 established routes already connecting cities, but the technology needs work because right now it’s too loud. Supersonic planes are pretty much outlawed over land because of the sonic booms, so the company's working to perfect its X-59 plane which would fix some of the issues. 

Kremer says they need to "minimize the sonic booms, and that would greatly enhance the market for these supersonic aircraft." 

Right now, commercial planes travel around 600 miles per hour. Supersonic planes would cruise four times faster than the speed of sound or 3,000 miles per hour.

"You would see it rushing by, and I think that would be extremely exciting, and I think a lot of people would like to do it – if they could afford it," he added. 

If the plane gets off the ground, it would be the first time in more than two decades that there has been a supersonic transatlantic flight since the Concorde. It was retired in 2003 due to operating costs.