Private airlines are exploring the potential of using rockets to transport passengers on long-haul flights in significantly less time than traditional commercial aircraft.
In early May, Australia’s Qantas announced plans for the world’s longest continuous flight from Sydney to New York or London, taking 20 hours, expected to commence in 2025. However, according to research published a few weeks later by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, that journey could be reduced to just 2 hours, a mere 1/10th of Qantas’s flight time, if rockets are used.
Rockets travel much faster than commercial passenger planes. (Photo: 3D Sculptor).
According to a concept known as rocket travel from one point to another, rockets can be used to launch spacecraft in suborbital flights, allowing for speeds of up to 6,437 km/h, according to David Doughty, CEO of Admiral Jet, a company specializing in private jets and helicopters. Currently, large commercial jets fly at speeds of about 885 – 965 km/h when cruising. Thus, the speed of rockets would make a significant difference in arrival times. “Rockets could change our perception of travel and open up new opportunities for exploration and discovery,” Doughty stated.
Several space companies are testing the necessary technology for rocket travel from one point to another. Billionaires including Richard Branson, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos are participating in this new space race through their respective companies: Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and Blue Origin. At the end of May, Virgin Galactic announced the successful completion of its fifth space flight, with commercial space flights expected to begin in early June.
The U.S. military is also collaborating with SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Rocket Lab to explore the possibility of rocket travel for cargo transportation, according to Joe Cassady, an aerospace engineer working for NASA. They have made significant strides in developing reusable rockets but still have a long way to go before they are ready for commercial flights. Building launch facilities, establishing flight corridors, and coordinating air traffic control systems will require substantial investment as well as collaboration between space companies and the government.
Moreover, rockets use highly volatile and explosive fuels in large quantities. Thus, it is likely that launch sites cannot be located in convenient major cities but instead will be in remote locations, such as SpaceX’s testing site in Boca Chica, Texas, near the Mexico border. Ultimately, the industry must consider the environmental impacts, both on Earth and in space.
During launch and landing, passengers will experience significant G-forces, according to Cassady. Current astronauts experience G-forces of 3, making their body weight feel three times heavier than on Earth. Therefore, seating needs to be designed to accommodate and absorb some of the load.
Passengers will need to wear pressure space suits and helmets during the 10-minute launch and the 40-minute landing. However, during the 30 – 60 minutes in orbit, they can experience weightlessness. They will be able to remove their pressure suits and float freely.
