Supersonic jet startups work to solve the sonic‑boom problem
Published on Aug 29, 2025 at 5:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 29, 2025 at 8:39 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Built in Massachusetts, the Spike Aerospace S-512 Diplomat is a supersonic business jet that can travel from Europe to New York in four hours… with no sonic boom.
The supersonic jet aims to blend luxury travel with super-fast travel speeds.
More importantly, it solves one of the biggest problems that supersonic aircraft face because it reduces the sonic boom to a ‘soft thump’.
And Spike wants to achieve this with relatively ‘simple’, but effective, solutions.
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The world’s first supersonic business jet
Since the demise of the beloved Concorde in 2003, there haven’t been any commercial supersonic flights.
Several big names are working to change that, including Boom Sonic, which is building the Overture airliner, and NASA with the X-59, but we aren’t there yet.
And now there’s another player, Massachusetts-based Spike Aerospace is also working on its own supersonic commercial aircraft.
The S-512 Diplomat is a business jet that can offer the same level of luxury as any other top-notch private jet, but it can take you from New York to London in just 3.3 hours, or from Singapore to Sydney in 3.7 hours.
The company is making quick progress and, more importantly, it wants to solve one of the biggest issues with supersonic aircraft: the sonic boom.
The reason why this is such a big deal
Part of the reason supersonic flights were shelved after Concorde was due to the incredibly loud sonic boom that’s created when a plane passes through the speed of sound.
It was so loud that some countries just banned it altogether.
However, newer technologies, like the one NASA is working on, are helping to make the sonic boom a thing of the past, and potentially usher in a new era of super-fast travel.
Spike is also doing its part.
Using advanced aerodynamic solutions and composite materials, Spike says it can reduce the sonic boom to a ‘soft thump’, roughly the same sound you hear when you close a car door.
Fingers crossed.
