SAE Update - September 2024 - 15

TECH FOCUS:
DECArBONizED AErOSPACE
The aerospace industry is in for some turbulence as it
faces mounting pressure to mitigate its environmental
footprint without compromising efficiency and safety.
NASA's Aeronautics division, in collaboration with
industry leaders, academia, and government agencies
through the Sustainable Flight National Partnership
(SFNP), has embarked on a mission to tackle this
challenge head-on. The goal is clear: develop and
mature transformative technologies that will pave the
way for the next generation of commercial aircraft.
Experimental sustainability
Presented at SAE's AeroTech event in March, NASA's
Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) project is a
full-scale technology demonstrator aircraft built to
break the glass ceiling of what's possible in the world
of ultra-efficient aerodynamic design for single-aisle
seat class airliners.
" We are focused on multiple synergistic commercial
transport vehicle technologies, which include airframe
configurations, manufacturing, propulsion and
electrification, airspace operations, and sustainable
aviation fuels, " Sarah Mann, the SFD project's public
affairs officer, told Update.
The demonstrator itself is referred to by its U.S. Air
Force designation, X-66. Built by Boeing, the X-66 is a
heavily modified MD-90 aircraft designed to lead the
charge towards net-zero aviation emissions by 2050.
NASA has a long history of experimental X-planes,
with the first having taken flight in 1946. Naturally,
priorities have shifted in the last 80 years: whereas the
X-1 was the first piloted plane to exceed the speed of
sound, the X-66 will be NASA's first X-plane specifically
focused on cutting emissions down to net zero.
As it is, single-aisle airliners account for nearly half
of worldwide aviation emissions. According to Mann,
UPDATE
A NASA instrumentation technician performs
installation measures on the TTBW, the design
of which reduces fuel consumption by 10%.
NASA aims to complete testing
in the next few years so new
sustainable aircraft technology
inspired by the project's design
can hit the market by the 2030s.
inside the X-66
The X-66 features Pratt &
Whitney geared turbofan engines
that are capable of reducing fuel
and CO2
by up to 20%. Furthering
their green impact, these engines
are certified for operation on 50%
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
September 2024
15
NASA

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/armd/integrated-aviation-systems-program/armd-iasp-sfd/about-sustainable-flight-demonstrator-project/

SAE Update - September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAE Update - September 2024

SAE Update - September 2024 - Cov1
SAE Update - September 2024 - Cov2
SAE Update - September 2024 - 1
SAE Update - September 2024 - 2
SAE Update - September 2024 - 3
SAE Update - September 2024 - 4
SAE Update - September 2024 - 5
SAE Update - September 2024 - 6
SAE Update - September 2024 - 7
SAE Update - September 2024 - 8
SAE Update - September 2024 - 9
SAE Update - September 2024 - 10
SAE Update - September 2024 - 11
SAE Update - September 2024 - 12
SAE Update - September 2024 - 13
SAE Update - September 2024 - 14
SAE Update - September 2024 - 15
SAE Update - September 2024 - 16
SAE Update - September 2024 - 17
SAE Update - September 2024 - 18
SAE Update - September 2024 - 19
SAE Update - September 2024 - 20
SAE Update - September 2024 - 21
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