Advancements In The Aerospace Industry
DescriptionAn article that explores the future possibilities of travel and what it will bring.
MessageThis is a contributed piece. Think about contributing today!
Image
SpaceXThe Aerospace Industry as a WholeDating all the way back to 1903 when the Wright Brothers produced the first airplane, to when the Apollo 11 crew landed on The Moon in 1969, flying, either in air or space, has been a fascination of humanity. And the aerospace industry has countless companies advancing that field and constantly coming up with new ideas and innovations, driving our species ever closer to that fascination.
eVTOLsElectric Vertical Takeoff and Landing, or eVTOLs, are very new technology and are taking the world by storm. One of the leading companies in this area is JetsonAero. This company is bringing forth “a personal mini electric helicopter” named after the iconic 1960s cartoon series. The Jetson 1 is an amazing feat in future technology.
These eVTOLs are built with the intent to make anyone a pilot, no license is required. Who knows how long that will last, but the idea of it is interesting. Also, the fact that it’s all-electric is great. This “human-sized drone” will be relatively light when talking about a helicopter. The Jetson 1 sits at 190 pounds. Considering that, it is hard to even call it an eVTOL, as it is a very small size. However, the Jetson 1 has revolutionized both eVTOL technology and drone technology in a way. This vehicle will likely cost upwards of $92,000, so don't get too excited.
This is one example of an aerospace company that is creating something like no one has ever seen before. Joby Aviation's S4 also looks insane, in a good way, of course. It is a much larger machine, weighing 4,000 pounds. The current problem with any eVTOL is battery life, as, of now, they have limited flying time. Joby calls these vehicles “Air Taxis” and the plan is for them to work as an expensive flying Uber. The safety of its technology is still being questioned, and it might be a while before these are released to the public, but eVTOLs have come a long way, and this is just the beginning of a new era. The day I can call an Uber and one of these shows up will be a great day.
SpaceXSpaceX is the most successful non-government-owned space flight company ever. And not too long ago that sentence would be a very weird one. The concept of a private rocket ship manufacturer just a few decades ago would sound crazy. But now you are seeing it everywhere, with this, Blue Origin (more on them later), Virgin Galactic, and others. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has the record for “most launched rocket ever” and their Falcon Heavy was the most powerful rocket (beat by NASA’s SLS). SpaceX has a lot going for them. Then, in 2019, everything changed. Founder Elon Musk brought forth the plan for the next big thing, Starship, which would replace all previous rockets built by the company, and if all goes well, will be the ship that can bring us to Mars. This rocket will be the most powerful toughest, and tallest one ever if produced. The engine designed for this rocket, “Raptor," will have a methane-based fuel (as opposed to previous SpaceX rockets using RP-1). On top of all that, it is going to be made of stainless steel. This seems to be an odd choice, but it’s really the only thing that can withstand the insane heat of reentry. This will be the most reusable rocket ever, as the process to re-launch it is relatively low maintenance. This means that, when it lands, it can be picked up, quickly fixed, and launched again, hopefully within a few weeks (or even days)!
Additionally, Starship will have multiple variants that will be used for different operations. The rocket has many functionalities, from being a refueling vessel, to helping colonize The Moon and/or Mars, to being able to explore the far reaches of our system. It is a truly exciting time for space travel.
Blue OriginBlue Origin is making it so anyone can go to space, as long as you have $28 million. They are producing rockets like the New Shepard with the intent of getting people into sub-orbit. Can that even be called a trip to space? According to the Jeff Bezos-founded company: YES! The New Shepard flies 63 miles high, and the nationally agreed altitude to reach space is 62. By going to Blue Origins website, you can submit an application to have a chance at going on one of these flights. This rocket’s engine (the 1 BE-3) runs on an LH2/LOX (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen) propellant, and to top it all off, the Shepard stands at 59ft. It’s a small rocket that gets the job done. In July 2021, Bezos put himself on one to go to space. This was partially done for his own enjoyment, and partially to prove the safety of the rocket. There’s no better way to prove to your future customers the safety of getting shot up into “space” than to try it yourself. Since then, former NFL player Michael Strahan and famous Star Trek actor William Shatner have traveled on the rocket. The capsule detaches upon ascent and safely parachutes its way to the ground, while the rest of the ship lands back on a pad for swift reuse, similar to Musk's SpaceX.
Rolls-Royce?The last company you thought would be making electric planes is Rolls-Royce. But since early 2022, Rolls-Royce has been testing the Spirit of Innovation all-electric aircraft. It’s a fairly small plane that is not being produced at a large scale level and is still in its early stages. However, the technology will get better over time. What this plane has going for it is that it has the record for being the fastest fully electric airplane produced, reaching 55.9 km/h (345.4 mph). This was over about 180 mph faster than the previous record. The plane uses a 400kw power train and packs a punch for such a small size.
Sum UpThe future of aerospace technology is ever-advancing. To the sky and to the stars, these new innovations present the future of flight in whatever form it may be, which is an exciting thing to see. I pray that some of the crafts shown here will come to fruition. Because if they do, then the future of humanity is something I want to see! And hopefully, you do, too.
eVTOLsElectric Vertical Takeoff and Landing, or eVTOLs, are very new technology and are taking the world by storm. One of the leading companies in this area is JetsonAero. This company is bringing forth “a personal mini electric helicopter” named after the iconic 1960s cartoon series. The Jetson 1 is an amazing feat in future technology.
These eVTOLs are built with the intent to make anyone a pilot, no license is required. Who knows how long that will last, but the idea of it is interesting. Also, the fact that it’s all-electric is great. This “human-sized drone” will be relatively light when talking about a helicopter. The Jetson 1 sits at 190 pounds. Considering that, it is hard to even call it an eVTOL, as it is a very small size. However, the Jetson 1 has revolutionized both eVTOL technology and drone technology in a way. This vehicle will likely cost upwards of $92,000, so don't get too excited.
This is one example of an aerospace company that is creating something like no one has ever seen before. Joby Aviation's S4 also looks insane, in a good way, of course. It is a much larger machine, weighing 4,000 pounds. The current problem with any eVTOL is battery life, as, of now, they have limited flying time. Joby calls these vehicles “Air Taxis” and the plan is for them to work as an expensive flying Uber. The safety of its technology is still being questioned, and it might be a while before these are released to the public, but eVTOLs have come a long way, and this is just the beginning of a new era. The day I can call an Uber and one of these shows up will be a great day.
SpaceXSpaceX is the most successful non-government-owned space flight company ever. And not too long ago that sentence would be a very weird one. The concept of a private rocket ship manufacturer just a few decades ago would sound crazy. But now you are seeing it everywhere, with this, Blue Origin (more on them later), Virgin Galactic, and others. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 has the record for “most launched rocket ever” and their Falcon Heavy was the most powerful rocket (beat by NASA’s SLS). SpaceX has a lot going for them. Then, in 2019, everything changed. Founder Elon Musk brought forth the plan for the next big thing, Starship, which would replace all previous rockets built by the company, and if all goes well, will be the ship that can bring us to Mars. This rocket will be the most powerful toughest, and tallest one ever if produced. The engine designed for this rocket, “Raptor," will have a methane-based fuel (as opposed to previous SpaceX rockets using RP-1). On top of all that, it is going to be made of stainless steel. This seems to be an odd choice, but it’s really the only thing that can withstand the insane heat of reentry. This will be the most reusable rocket ever, as the process to re-launch it is relatively low maintenance. This means that, when it lands, it can be picked up, quickly fixed, and launched again, hopefully within a few weeks (or even days)!
Additionally, Starship will have multiple variants that will be used for different operations. The rocket has many functionalities, from being a refueling vessel, to helping colonize The Moon and/or Mars, to being able to explore the far reaches of our system. It is a truly exciting time for space travel.
Blue OriginBlue Origin is making it so anyone can go to space, as long as you have $28 million. They are producing rockets like the New Shepard with the intent of getting people into sub-orbit. Can that even be called a trip to space? According to the Jeff Bezos-founded company: YES! The New Shepard flies 63 miles high, and the nationally agreed altitude to reach space is 62. By going to Blue Origins website, you can submit an application to have a chance at going on one of these flights. This rocket’s engine (the 1 BE-3) runs on an LH2/LOX (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen) propellant, and to top it all off, the Shepard stands at 59ft. It’s a small rocket that gets the job done. In July 2021, Bezos put himself on one to go to space. This was partially done for his own enjoyment, and partially to prove the safety of the rocket. There’s no better way to prove to your future customers the safety of getting shot up into “space” than to try it yourself. Since then, former NFL player Michael Strahan and famous Star Trek actor William Shatner have traveled on the rocket. The capsule detaches upon ascent and safely parachutes its way to the ground, while the rest of the ship lands back on a pad for swift reuse, similar to Musk's SpaceX.
Rolls-Royce?The last company you thought would be making electric planes is Rolls-Royce. But since early 2022, Rolls-Royce has been testing the Spirit of Innovation all-electric aircraft. It’s a fairly small plane that is not being produced at a large scale level and is still in its early stages. However, the technology will get better over time. What this plane has going for it is that it has the record for being the fastest fully electric airplane produced, reaching 55.9 km/h (345.4 mph). This was over about 180 mph faster than the previous record. The plane uses a 400kw power train and packs a punch for such a small size.
Sum UpThe future of aerospace technology is ever-advancing. To the sky and to the stars, these new innovations present the future of flight in whatever form it may be, which is an exciting thing to see. I pray that some of the crafts shown here will come to fruition. Because if they do, then the future of humanity is something I want to see! And hopefully, you do, too.
