NASA's High-Risk, High-Reward Vision for Sustainable Air Travel

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA leads high-risk, high-reward research and development of innovative technologies and solutions to address the most difficult technical aviation challenges, contributing to U.S. leadership in the global aeronautics industry. NASA partners with academia, entrepreneurs, industry and other federal departments and agencies to fuel innovations that grow the economy and high-paying jobs, while improving life on Earth.

Cost-sharing partnerships with U.S. industry and collaboration with other federal agencies through the Sustainable Flight National Partnership (SFNP) will develop and demonstrate in the late 2020s the technologies required for game-changing, ultra-efficient aircraft that will be needed to meet aggressive climate and efficiency goals. Through the SFNP, NASA will partner with aviation stakeholders to demonstrate a suite of aircraft technologies by 2030 that collectively could lead to a 30 percent reduction in fuel burn, while reducing noise and emissions of conventional pollutants. Employing these advanced technologies, new narrow-body aircraft, with a step change in environmental performance could enter the fleet in the 2030s; new wide-body aircraft could enter in the 2040s. NASA also leads exploratory research of aircraft and propulsion systems such as those designed to take advantage of novel, non-drop-in energy sources such as cryogenic fuels, or to incorporate hybrid- or fully-electric propulsion technologies. NASA assesses the feasibility and climate impacts of sustainable aviation fuels and other non-traditional fuels, and the associated technologies to enable their safe adoption.

NASA systematically works to understand and overcome barriers to increasing connectivity and speed of aviation. NASA will assess community acceptability of quiet supersonic technology through flight demonstrations using the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, and will seek solutions to other challenges associated with landing and take-off noise, upper atmospheric emissions, and aircraft efficiency. NASA will advance the understanding and development of critical fundamental technologies necessary for hypersonic flight, and provide world-class U.S. experimental computational, ground, and flight R&D capabilities and expertise relied on by the Nation.

NASA explores cutting edge airspace and safety management tools and demonstrates them in collaboration with industry, the DoD, and the FAA for transition and operational integration. For instance, NASA and FAA are developing a long-term vision for a transformed NAS with safe, scalable, high-tempo airspace access for all users, and pioneering operational automation to safely and automatically optimize flight routes for minimum environmental impact. NASA research in AAM vehicles and operational concepts will establish the foundation for private sector innovation that will transform the way people and goods move through our National Airspace System.

NASA leverages Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs to drive aeronautics innovation across these priorities, engaging small businesses, research institutions, and entrepreneurs in vehicle and airspace management exploratory research. Both programs foster commercial application of research results and encourage participation of socially and economically disadvantaged persons and women-owned small businesses. NASA serves as a catalyst for novel innovations through public challenges and prize competitions. NASA partners with universities to explore advances that can transform aviation and build the next generation workforce.