Boom Supersonic's XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft flew for the second time ever on Monday. It reached an altitude of 10,400 feet and a speed of 277 mph during the 15 minute flight. The flight demonstrated landing gear being retracted and extended for the first time and tested a new digital stability augmentation system to improve handling. The company expects to achieve supersonic flight later this year.

Boom Supersonic's Overture airliner can reach New York from London in just 3.5 hours. The company's superfactory is set to be finished by the end of the year. Boom is aiming to produce 66 supersonic aircraft every year and totally revolutionize air travel. It plans to start carrying passengers by 2029. The Overture will carry up to 80 passengers at a cruising speed of Mach 1.7 up to a range of 4,250 nautical miles.

Hermeus, a company that is attempting to build hypersonic aircraft with jet engines that would allow them to take off from runways like traditional planes, has unveiled a flying prototype to demonstrate high-speed takeoff and landing. The Mk 1 is an uncrewed, remotely piloted plane that will allow Hermeus to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the aircraft's performance and examine the effectiveness of the company's test procedures, safety culture, and interdisciplinary team collaboration. The company's next prototype is expected to demonstrate supersonic flight in 2025. A video featuring the Mk 1 is available in the article.

SpaceX's Starship launched successfully and made a controlled splashdown for the first time on Thursday. The test fell short of total perfection, but it was still a large success. Two of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster failed and there was damage to the ship's thermal protection tiles and one of its control flaps. SpaceX has already test-fired the ship for the next test flight, and the booster could be hot-fired soon. The next test flight, which could happen within a couple of months, may involve an onshore landing.

The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has successfully tested its ultra-high-speed maglev train under low vacuum conditions. The test showed that all systems were nominal. CASIC plans to run the train at its full 621 mph speed in the second phase of testing, which will require an extended track. There may also be phase 3 tests targeting 2,485 mph.

SpaceX is targeting June 5 for its next Starship test flight. The highly anticipated flight seeks to demonstrate the Super Heavy stage's ability to make a soft landing in the Gulf of Mexico. It also aims for the Starship upper stage to make a controlled reentry through the Earth's atmosphere before falling into the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy first stage failed to make a soft landing in previous attempts due to a blockage in a filter in the Raptor engines. The Starship upper stage lost the ability to control its altitude during its coast phase in space due to clogged valves used by its reaction control thrusters.

Radian Aerospace has made significant progress in the development of a reusable space plane, a project that aims to revolutionize space travel by allowing a vehicle to take off and land like a conventional airplane. The company recently completed a series of ground tests in Abu Dhabi with a subscale prototype known as PFV01. Although the vehicle did not achieve full flight, it successfully performed small hops on the runway, providing valuable data to inform the design and flight control systems of the final space plane. The PFV01 prototype, measuring approximately 15 feet in length, is smaller than the intended final vehicle. However, the data collected from these tests is crucial for determining key design elements, such as the optimal placement of landing gear and the center of gravity, which are essential for stability during flight. Co-founder and CTO Livingston Holder emphasized that the prototype allows for adjustments that help reduce uncertainty in the analytical data, enhancing the fidelity of their simulations as they progress toward more advanced flight tests. Radian's vision for the Radian One space plane includes launching from a two-mile-long rail sled, igniting its engines in orbit, and returning to Earth to land on a standard runway. This approach is considered groundbreaking because it eliminates the need for traditional launch vehicles, making space more accessible, akin to how airplanes operate within the atmosphere. The economic implications are promising, as a reusable space plane could facilitate frequent trips to and from space, potentially transforming the market for space missions. The versatility of the Radian One is noteworthy, as it is designed to perform a wide range of missions beyond just launching satellites. Co-founder and CRO Jeff Feige highlighted that the system could also service and recover payloads, transport people, and conduct atmospheric observations, thereby tapping into a broader market than conventional rockets. The development process for the space plane differs from that of vertical rockets, focusing on early risk retirement and a stepwise approach similar to airplane development. While specific technical details from the tests remain undisclosed, Holder mentioned that PFV01 reached its takeoff velocity. The company plans to analyze the data collected before moving on to higher-speed taxi tests and actual flight testing. Concurrently, Radian is seeking regulatory approval to operate from a different airport in the UAE, with hopes to commence full-scale flights of the Radian One by 2028. To date, Radian Aerospace has raised $32 million from various investors, positioning itself for future advancements in the spaceflight industry.

SpaceX aims to fly its full stack Starship rocket for the fifth time in late July. The rocket was able to make a successful soft splashdown during its fourth test, giving the company the confidence to try a tower catch for the fifth test. Another area SpaceX will be testing is the second stage ship's heat shield, which is made of thousands of tiles. Many of the tiles fell off in the previous test even when the ship was on the ground.

The focus for the next Starship mission will be to control the reentry of the rocket's Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage - both vehicles broke apart during their descent on the last flight. The company aims to make the Super Heavy booster make a controlled pinpoint splash down in the Gulf of Mexico as the Starship upper stage attempts to survive its reentry back into Earth's atmosphere. The test will be a repeat of the previous test without the propellant transfer, without the Pez door open, and without the other items that SpaceX was working to demonstrate. NASA's main interest in the test will be seeing that SpaceX replicates the good engine performance it demonstrated on the last two flights. SpaceX is not planning to attempt a Raptor engine restart during the test.

The fourth SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy launch may be in the next month or so. Its goal will be to get Starship's upper stage to get through the high heating regime of reentry and make a controlled splat into the ocean. SpaceX aims to bring the Super Heavy booster back intact, having it land on a virtual tower in the Gulf of Mexico. It could attempt to land a Starship booster on the real tower as soon as the vehicle's fifth flight. The company is working to accelerate production of Starship vehicles to support higher flight rates and increase payload capacity.