Boom Supersonic unveils carbon neutral airliner test programme

US-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic on Monday said the test programme for its supersonic demonstrator aircraft XB-1 will be fully carbon neutral thanks to sustainable aviation fuels and carbon offsetting.

All ground and flight tests with the XB-1 are part of the company's carbon neutral commitment. XB-1 will be used to design Overture, the fastest commercial airliner.

The sustainable fuel to be used during the programme will be provided by Prometheus Fuels under a partnership announced in June 2019. The technology utilised by the latter economically eliminates carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and uses renewable power from solar and wind parks to turn it into jet fuel.

Boom has already carried out tests with XB-1 engines running on a blend of over 80% sustainable fuel. It has also created an environmental and sustainability team, which is looking for new opportunities for sustainability in aircraft design, sustainable aviation fuels, flight routing and carbon offsetting.

The company is close to completing its XB-1 demonstrator and its rollout is expected this summer.

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