United Airlines Ventures Invests in Supersonic Flight Startup

United Airlines’ venture capital arm, United Airlines Ventures (UAV), has announced an investment in Astro Mechanica, an aerospace startup developing propulsion and airframe technologies for supersonic flight.

Astro Mechanica is engineering Duality, a hybrid-electric propulsion system designed to adapt across multiple flight phases and ultimately support transpacific supersonic operations. The system acts as a turbofan during takeoff and subsonic flight, transitioning to turbojet near supersonic speeds and functioning as a ramjet at Mach 3+ levels.

The investment coincides with regulatory shifts in the US: The Trump administration instructed the FAA to lift the ban on civilian supersonic flights over land, stipulating that aircraft must avoid generating audible sonic booms.

Astro Mechanica plans to deploy its technology first within the defense sector, before scaling toward broader commercial aviation opportunities.

United has previously demonstrated interest in this field, placing an order for 15 Boom Supersonic Overture jets in 2021.

Earlier in August, Eve Air Mobility (a company developing eVTOL aircraft and software for urban air mobility) announced a $230 million equity raise and a dual listing in Brazil via Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs) approved for trading on B3 under the ticker EVEB31.

Photo by Hermeus on Unsplash