Press release
18/06/2019
Boom Supersonic, the Colorado company building history's fastest supersonic airliner, today announced a unique partnership with Prometheus Fuels. Prometheus will supply fuel during the flight test program of XB-1, Boom's Mach-2.2 demonstrator aircraft. Boom plans to use Prometheus fuel to power XB-1 in the world's first supersonic flight using carbon-neutral fuel.
Through a process called direct air carbon capture, Prometheus removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and uses clean electricity to transform it into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The electricity used in this process comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind, so there are no net carbon emissions from using the fuel.
"Boom is committed to making supersonic travel environmentally sustainable—we want society to enjoy the benefits of faster flight for generations to come. Prometheus is doing incredible work, and we are thrilled to partner with them to accelerate the deployment of alternative aviation fuels," said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom. "We couldn't be more excited to have them as a fuel supplier."
At Prometheus, our goal is to replace fossil fuels with our high performance zero-net carbon fuels, made from CO2 that's already in the air" said Prometheus founder and CEO, Rob McGinnis. "We believe it's possible to solve global warming with innovation, and to push human achievement higher and faster while we do it. We're proud to partner with Boom to do just that."
XB-1 is nearing completion and will help refine the design and engineering of Overture, Boom's revolutionary supersonic commercial airliner. XB-1 shares the same key technologies as Overture: advanced carbon fiber composites, a refined delta wing planform, and an efficient variable-geometry propulsion system. Lessons from XB-1 have already helped optimize Overture and will prove in-flight key technologies for safe, efficient travel at Mach 2.2.