NASA is bringing back the era of ‘X-planes’ – a series of experimental aircraft first tested by the space agency in the 1940s.
Among its plans is the ‘double bubble’ D8, which is a twin-hull plane that is designed to make the experience of flying more fuel efficient, with faster loading and unloading and a quieter, more comfortable takeoff.
The design was initially developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and MIT in 2008, and now NASA has awarded the company a $2.9 million contract to make a scale model of the aircraft.It is designed to be over 50 per cent more fuel efficient than current best-in-class aircraft.