New designs of a spaceship-like aircraft propose a supersonic and eco-friendly flight. The futuristic design for the HSP Magnavem shows a streamlined ship with the ability to reach a top speed of Mach 1.5 (1,150 mph). This hypersonic plane would be able to have the duration of current flights and it will only take three hours to travel from London to New York.
As if these features are not impressive enough, it will feature a compact fusion reactor to power and will produce zero carbon emissions. Oscar Vinals, the designer of the craft hopes that this will revolutionize the aeronautic industry and the whole industry will one day run on compact fusion reactors.
Nuclear fusion is not damaging to the environment. It is the process that goes on in the sun and the compact fusion reactors will replicate the process inside a magnetic container and release energy from hydrogen in a controlled fashion to produce power that we can use.
According to Mr. Vinals, the Magnavem will be able to carry 500 passengers at a time and can be recharged extremely quickly due to the present technologies. He has been working on the designs for more than a year and they also feature a carbon dioxide cleaning system which adds to the environmental benefits of the aircraft.
The name Magnavem comes from the Latin words magna and avem meaning big bird. In theory, the aircraft could be built today but according to Oscar some technologies still need 10 to 15 years of advancements before his flying vessel can be completed.
Mr Vinals, said: “The response has been totally positive. I am very happy with this.I am most excited about the possibility to use a CFR (compact fusion reactor) with the benefits of inexhaustible power and great amounts of energy production. There’s also the plasma energy to control the airplane’s flight or the use of AI system. We must not forget the possibility of using the plane like an efficient tool to ‘clean’ the excess of CO2 in the atmosphere.”
Even though it sounds like an ambitious dream for now, technology has surprised us time and again. Who knows, one day the Magnavem might actually be a reality.