Boom Supersonic

Happy Holidays from all of us at Boom Supersonic. Wishing you smooth skies and joyful journeys. See you on the runway, 2025.

What does the XB-1 team do with all the data gathered during test flights? Erin Young shares how the team carefully evaluates systems as XB-1 climbs higher and faster over Mojave. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e9H4BgCe

The holidays are busy, and so are we—XB-1, our supersonic demonstrator, is proving that supersonic travel is a reality in motion, paving the way for Overture to transform the future of flight.

Imagine watching the sun rise twice in one day, or cruising so high you can see the curve of the Earth—while traveling faster than the speed of sound. Supersonic travel inspires awe in more ways than you might expect. Find out what it’s really like to fly at Mach 1: https://lnkd.in/eRETRiZG Image credit: Mike Bannister

✈️ It was a great day to go transonic. Today, XB-1 Flight 10 reached Mach 0.95—transonic speed. XB-1’s safe and successful transonic flight brings us closer to breaking the sound barrier. At Mach 0.95, XB-1 surpassed the maximum speed of commercial jets. Today’s flight accomplished: ✅ New top speed: Mach 0.95; 553 KTAS (637MPH) ✅ New max altitude: 32,417 ft. ✅ Additional Flutter Excitation System (FES) tests Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eqdKvAB9 What is transonic speed? You can’t go supersonic without first going transonic. Transonic is the speed regime XB-1 reached during Flight 10. It’s the transitional speed between subsonic and supersonic, from Mach 0.8 to Mach 1.2.

What does test flight look like from a test pilot’s perspective? Go behind the scenes with XB-1 Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg and see inside the cockpit as he safely and effectively executes flights in the skies above Mojave Air & Space Port.

What lessons from XB-1 will be applied to Overture? Listen in as Boom’s Founder and CEO Blake Scholl and Chief Test Engineer Nick Sheryka sit down with Interesting Engineering to discuss supersonic aircraft development and the future of travel. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eZK4mH-k

Oh, the places you’ll go… and the planes you’ll fly! Congrats, Kate Gunderson and National Test Pilot School Class of 2024, on graduating from test pilot school! Kate and her fellow grads earned an MS in Flight Test Engineering, which includes 3 years of practical flight test experience. From all of us at Boom, we wish you blue skies and tailwinds as you begin your next chapter!

As XB-1 approaches Mach 1, I’m happy to share Boom Supersonic has raised over $100M in new financing, fully funding the first Symphony engine prototype. Major investors in this round include Alexander Gerko, Bessemer Venture Partners, Michael Moritz, Reid Hoffman, Sam Altman, and Y Combinator. By being flexible on valuation (yes, this was a recap/downround, effectively a new Series A)—we created a buying opportunity for investors. This led to oversubscription and leaves the company in a stronger financial position. While no founder ever wants to do a recap, I remain focused on our mission. Humanity needs and deserves supersonic travel. And I continue to believe Boom can be one of the most significant companies of the 21st century.

✈️XB-1 Flight 9 is a wrap It was a beautiful day to fly over the Mojave Desert. Today’s flight accomplished: ✅ New top speed: Mach 0.87; 517 KTAS (595 MPH) ✅ New max altitude: 27,716 ft. ✅ Successful Flutter Excitation System (FES) tests ✅ Continued testing of a new material to reduce drag—in collaboration with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Air Force Operational Energy Office. The material is a shark skin-inspired film developed by MicroTau.