Virgin Galactic partners with Rolls-Royce as it looks to build an aircraft for supersonic air travel

Space tourism venture Virgin Galactic announced it signed an agreement with Rolls-Royce to develop an aircraft for supersonic travel, giving a first look on Monday of the coming vehicle’s design. Supersonic travel is a long-term bet for Virgin Galactic, which has been developing reusable spacecraft capable of sending people on short trips to the edge of space for more than a decade. Virgin Galactic said it completed a mission concept review alongside NASA of its supersonic vehicle design and now will work with the Federal Aviation Administration to create a framework for certifying the aircraft for flight. Previously Boeing’s venture arm invested $20m in Virgin Galactic, specifically toward helping the company build a supersonic aircraft. “We have made great progress so far, and we look forward to opening up a new frontier in high speed travel,” Virgin Galactic chief space officer George Whitesides said. The initial supersonic design targets Mach 3, or three times the speed of sound, using a delta-wing aircraft. Virgin Galactic said the aircraft would be capable of carrying between 9 and 19 passengers and would cruise at an altitude above 60,000 feet.<br/>