Swiss startup Destinus has designed a hypersonic aeroplane fueled with hydrogen with the mission of knocking down the hours of travel, flying five times the speed of sound. The company aims to make flying more convenient, making a flight from Sydney to Frankfurt four hours and fifteen minutes instead of twenty hours.
Flying with less emissions, Destinus uses hydrogen as a fuel that is produced from water through electrolysis using renewable energy, which when burned turns into water and heat making the company a carbon-neutral business.
Destinus’ mission is to create an aircraft that makes it possible to move around the planet in the fastest way, targeting anyone operating aeroplanes who want to provide the fastest passenger and cargo service at scale in the near future.
The company is a producer and designer with its ultra-long-range hypersonic aircraft that will integrate easily into everyday life because it avoids creating noise and can be used in conventional airports.
CEO Mikhail Kokorich founded Destinus in 2021, with a team of around 120 staff spread out in Spain, France and Germany, and since then has already flown two prototypes that have made successful test flights.
The company has embarked on a lengthy research journey to carry out its mission. The team says it’s using numerical methods for the development of hyperplanes, enabling them to dig deep into the main aspects of supersonic and hypersonic aerothermodynamics, from the conceptual design phase to the detailed design phase leading up to manufacturing.
In recent news, the company announced its participation in a strategic initiative with the Spanish Ministry of Science’s Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI) programme to advance the use of hydrogen in aviation. Also, the company has been awarded grants for two projects worth a total of 26.7 million euros. These grants were awarded as part of Spain’s plan to make the country a world leader in producing renewable hydrogen and developing hydrogen-based mobility solutions.
Destinus are currently testing a gaseous hydrogen post-combustion jet engine (afterburner) while working to advance other engine technologies using cryogenic fuels such as liquid hydrogen. These technologies will undergo extensive ground testing over the coming year and be integrated onboard our next supersonic prototype, Destinus-3, in 2024.
With total funding of $58.2 million, the company is on the right path of leading the way in revolutionising the aerospace industry in Europe.
Sources: Destinus
