Concorde is dead; long live the Cosmoplane. No, it’s not a jet sponsored by a well-known women’s magazine, but the latest development by Russian aerospace experts, who say it will be able to fly from Moscow to New York in less than an hour.
Even more astounding is the claim that such an aircraft could conceivably be in production within 10 years. According to the online news provider Ananova, the Cosmoplane will be 250 feet long, will carry up to 1,200 people at speeds of up to 18,000 miles an hour, and fly at altitudes of up to 650,000 feet.
Details of the project were reportedly unveiled at the International Aviation and Aeronautics exhibition currently being held in Moscow.
Ivan Obruchev, of the Moscow Aviation Institute, reportedly said: “Based on development in Russia we will be able to create an aerospace craft in 10 to 15 years. A Cosmoplane flight from Moscow to New York will take 50 minutes, to Tokyo 53 minutes and to Sydney, 66 minutes.”
The Institute is estimating that a flight ticket would cost at least GBP10,000.
