Aerion Supersonic, the leader in supersonic technology, and NASA's Langley Research Center will commence a joint study with the intention of accelerating realisation of commercial high-speed flight and faster point-to-point travel.

Pursuant to the latest Space Act Agreement (S.A.A.) entered into between Aerion Supersonic and NASA, the two parties will engage in research and development on a future generation of ultra-high-speed – or 'high Mach' – aircraft.

"This is a continuation of a long-standing relationship between Aerion Supersonic and NASA," said Aerion's Chairman, President & CEO, Tom Vice. "At Aerion our vision is to build a future where humanity can travel between any two points on our planet within three hours. This partnership will enable the development of technologies that will help realise ultra-high-speed point-to-point global mobility solutions in the Mach 3-5 range."

"This collaboration will also improve United States competitiveness in efforts to produce technically feasible and commercially viable passenger aircraft for high Mach point-to-point travel. We have made significant progress on the design of our AS2 supersonic business jet which will begin production in 2023 and this agreement with NASA will significantly add to the work our company is doing on our next generation AS3 passenger jet."

Specifically studying commercial flight in the Mach 3-5 range, the collaboration will be used to evaluate the parametric suitability of propulsion and thermal management technologies. Through a joint assessment, the impact of Mach 3+ speed regimes will be explored to also establish solutions for enabling technologies in respect of integrated power generation and cabin systems.

"NASA Langley seeks to enable the next generation of commercial air transport by generating innovative concepts, capabilities, and technologies for revolutionary advances to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. NASA's Hypersonic Technology Project (HTP) is looking forward to working with Aerion in the pursuit of developing these hypersonic technologies to advance future civilian transportation," said Shelly Ferlemann, associate project manager for HTP at NASA.

Aerion will use the unique aerodynamic optimisation tools developed by its in-house technologies company which are facilitating development of the AS2, the world's first sustainable supersonic business jet, to conduct technology assessments on future concepts and aid a transition to the faster aircraft of tomorrow. This is the third such collaboration between Aerion and NASA, dating back to 2012.

The AS2 supersonic business jet is Aerion's starting point in pursuit of faster point-to-point travel, to be followed by the AS3 passenger jet, forming the basis of a future range of high Mach aircraft. Designed to be inherently environmentally responsible from first flight, the AS2 is the first supersonic aircraft designed to be powered by 100% engineered synthetic fuel and reach supersonic speeds without the need for an afterburner.

The manufacture of 300 AS2 aircraft is planned for the first decade of production. The AS2 will be the first aircraft to be assembled at the company's new global headquarters in Melbourne, Florida – Aerion Park, beginning in 2023. The state-of-the-art development – powered by clean energy – will incorporate headquarters operations plus an integrated campus for research, design, build, and maintenance of the company's aircraft.