This rare footage shows NASA testing the X-43A, an experimental hypersonic aircraft built to explore extreme-speed flight. Because scramjet engines cannot start from rest, the vehicle was carried under a B-52, boosted to hypersonic speed by a rocket, and only then ignited its own engine. | SpaceEve

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It's the 20th anniversary of the X-43A record speed flight! ⭐ NASA’s X-43A experimental aircraft set the world speed record for a jet-powered aircraft 20 years ago on Nov. 16, 2004. The flight originated from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The B-52B carried a Pegasus rocket under its wing, and the X-43A was attached to the rocket’s nose. Once in position over the Pacific Ocean, the rocket air-launched and its engine fired, and once in position, the X-43A’s engine

CHINA PUSHES THE LIMITS OF FLIGHT WITH HYPERSONIC TECHNOLOGY China stunned the global aerospace community after reports confirmed successful tests of a hypersonic flight vehicle capable of reaching speeds around 8,100 km/h—well beyond Mach 5, the threshold that defines hypersonic travel. At these speeds, aircraft don’t just fly through air—they reshape it. Important Details: • Hypersonic speed begins at Mach 5 (over 6,100 km/h at altitude) • Reported test speeds approach 8,100 km/h (≈ Mach 6–7)