Space — The Final Frontier

Hypersonic airlines? Is that a byproduct of our focus on space technology? Could I fly from New York to London in 30 minutes? Space is a great example of the broad ecosystems that form around a given domain. It also illuminates the convergence associated with them. For example, space intersects with domains like Internet, communications, GPS, and Intelligence, via satellites, resources, via space mining, energy, via solar panels closer to the sun, as well as wireless energy transmission, travel, via hypersonic flight, tourism, shelter, via space habitats, and military, via space forces. There are other areas of intersection, and each area underscores the growing importance of ecosystems.

This recent article describes hypersonic airlines. Per the article:

Australian company Hypersonix Launch Systems is not only looking to make the delivery of satellites into orbit cheaper and more accessible, but also greener. It is developing a reusable launch system powered by green hydrogen that would deliver small satellites into orbit without producing any carbon emissions or other noxious gases — and is eyeing off hypersonic airliners further down the line.

Darren Quick — Reusable scramjet launch system to pave way for hypersonic airliners

That last line draws the linkage across domains. Clearly the company doesn’t plan to stop with delivering satellites into orbit. The article goes on to state that while they will first focus on maturing the technology using unmanned vehicles, it will also look to develop hypersonic airliners that could carry passengers from Australia to the US east coast in just 2.5 hours. Boundaries continue to blur. In the context of envisioning possible futures, we must see these linkages. Foresight is limited when we look at one domain without seeing the implications across them. That may seem like an obvious statement — but the breadth of impact is ever expanding.

Originally published at http://frankdiana.net on January 14, 2022.