WASHINGTON – US space agency NASA and aircraft maker Boeing will work together to create a passenger aircraft with fewer emissions, reported German news agency dpa, quoting a NASA announcement on Wednesday.
“Since the beginning, NASA has been with you when you fly. NASA has dared to go farther, faster, higher. And in doing so, NASA has made aviation more sustainable and dependable. It is in our DNA,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
“It’s our goal that NASA’s partnership with Boeing to produce and test a full-scale demonstrator will help lead to future commercial airliners that are more fuel efficient, with benefits to the environment, the commercial aviation industry, and to passengers worldwide,” Nelson said.
Over seven years, NASA will invest $425 million to build, test, and fly a full-scale demonstrator aircraft, while Boeing and its partners will contribute the remainder of the agreement funding, estimated at about $725 million.
As part of the agreement, the agency also will contribute technical expertise and facilities.
Single-aisle aircraft account for nearly half of the worldwide aviation emissions, NASA said.
NASA plans to complete testing for the project by the late 2020s so the new design can take to the skies in the 2030s. – Bernama
