Three hours to Australia? How a new aircraft could transform travel

A new hypersonic concept called Invictus aims to cut the long-haul trip from the UK to Australia from roughly 22–27 hours in the air to as little as three hours, with the European Space Agency (ESA) providing support. The article describes Invictus as designed to fly at more than five times the speed of sound, taking off from a normal runway before climbing to around 80,000 feet and accelerating near the edge of the atmosphere. If successful, it could enable a London–Sydney route in about three hours, potentially offering commercial supersonic speeds not seen since Concorde’s retirement in 2003. However, timelines remain staged: development’s first phase is expected to be completed later this year, small-scale engine tests are due to begin in 2027, with further trials later in the decade. A first flight is currently planned for 2034 at lower speed, and full hypersonic testing is expected by 2036. Initially, the project would launch satellites rather than carry passengers, with any passenger benefits dependent on results.