Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet set to launch in October this year

Image: Boom

Supersonic passenger aircraft Concorde stopped flying in 2003, but a similar aircraft is scheduled to take-off for the skies come October this year.

Boom's XB-1 supersonic jet will be launched on October 7 and although it is not a passenger aircraft, reports suggest that it is the world's first independently developed supersonic aircraft.

Boom, which is based out of Colorado and was established in 2014, has been working on faster modes of air travel since its inception.

"XB-1 is the first step in bringing supersonic travel back to the world. Flights at twice the speed mean we can travel twice as far, bringing more people, places, and cultures into our lives," Blake Scholl, Boom's founder and CEO said, according to a report by Interesting Engineering.

According to that report, XB-1 has been designed as a precursor to Overture, which plans to be the world's fastest commercial airliner. Scholl said that while speed is the objective, safety is primary for the company.

"Whenever we face a decision between safety and schedule, safety comes first. As a company, we’re cultivating a safety-first culture, and that’s something that will serve us well moving into the development of Overture," Scholl said.