Shattering previous air-breathing speed records, NASA’s Hyper-X program has successfully tested the first airframe-integrated scramjet engine. Firing for around 15 seconds, the X-43A travelled over 15 miles at a speed of Mach 7, or around 5,000mph. Scramjets promise to revolutionize spaceflight by allowing self-powered vehicles to launch themselves into orbit, without the need for external boosters. An Australian team fired a scramjet to Mach 7.6 in 2002, but it was not part of an integrated vehicle.
