New hypersonic aircraft concept could take off from airships near the edge of space
SMRTR summary
Forget rockets. One small volunteer nonprofit thinks the slow way up might be the better way to orbit.
JP Aerospace, which calls itself "America's Other Space Program," recently released striking computer-generated images of a dark, wing-shaped vehicle called Hazel, shown separating from a massive high-altitude airship called SuperTandem. The concept is audacious: instead of a thundering launch, passengers and cargo would drift gently upward over several days to reach orbital velocity using electric engines.
The organization has been quietly pursuing this vision for over 40 years under founder John Powell, operating entirely on volunteers and modest budgets. Back in 2011, their Tandem airship set an altitude record at over 95,000 feet above Nevada's Black Rock Desert, built for around $30,000.
But Hazel remains firmly in the concept stage. No construction timeline, no funding details, no launch date. Just some remarkable animations, and a very big idea still waiting for liftoff.
SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Interesting Engineering.
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