NASA has begun testing a scale model of a new supersonic jet that's been dubbed the "new Concorde".
The QueSST is able to fly at double the speed of a commercial jet and could transport passengers from London to New York in as little as three hours.
It's also much quieter than the original Concorde - reducing the noise pollution that was a major factor in the iconic aircraft being removed from service.
So far, NASA and Lockheed Martin have sunk £290 million into the project and they believe actual test flights could happen as early as 2021.
The space agency has successfully tested new supersonic technology in a wind tunnel and believes it could be deployed in commercial air travel. The new technology minimises the sonic boom and would make the planes almost inaudible to those of us under the flight path.
At the moment, it's only been tested in a small scale and NASA will start taking bids in August from manufacturers who will build the technology into a full-sized demonstration plane.
The full-sized plane would be capable of flying at 55,000 feet - above the standard cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. Crucially, it would produce sound levels that max out at 65 decibels. For comparison, Concorde would thunder over at 90 decibels.
“Now you’re getting down to that level where, as far as approval from the general public, it would probably be something that’s acceptable,” said Peter Iosifidis, design program manager at Lockheed Martin, which built NASA's small-scale model.
At 65 decibels, the new plane wouldn't sound much louder than a large car driving up the motorway. And Iosifidis is confident that Lockheed's design could be replicated at scale.
“Manufacturers will not take the lead in developing an aircraft that they can’t fly,” Iosifidis told Bloomberg .
“That’s where NASA said we’ve got to go change the rule, and this is the path to making that happen.”
Nasa spokesman Peter Coen said: "Supersonic flight offers the potential to improve the quality of life of those that fly, by greatly reducing travel time.
“In the nearer term, NASA's development of quiet supersonic flight technology needs support, interest and engagement from the community to ensure that the potential sound is acceptable to those on the ground.”