Astro Mechanica’s supersonic engine design gets funding boost

Astro Mechanica, a San Francisco-based aerospace company, has received new funding from United Airlines Ventures (UAV) to advance its innovative supersonic engine design named Duality. This engine employs a hybrid electric architecture that optimizes performance across a wide range of flight speeds, from takeoff to speeds exceeding Mach 3. Duality’s adaptive propulsion system can transition between operating modes—turbofan at slower speeds, turbojet near supersonic speeds, and ramjet at very high supersonic speeds—enabling efficient and flexible supersonic flight. The design aims to address the key economic challenge of fuel efficiency in supersonic travel and has potential applications in national defense, orbital launch, and long-range cargo delivery. Astro Mechanica’s goal is to democratize high-speed flight by making supersonic travel more accessible, sustainable, and flexible, with ambitions to develop the world’s first supersonic aircraft capable of transpacific flights. Beyond building its own aircraft,