On Tuesday morning, Boom Supersonic celebrated its inaugural supersonic flight with the XB-1 test aircraft. This marked the first civil supersonic flight from a jet-powered aircraft in the United States and was broadcast live for an enthusiastic audience. Thanks to SpaceX’s Starlink and an iPhone, viewers were treated to spectacular in-flight footage.
After extensive development, Boom has reached a significant milestone: supersonic flight. The company’s vision is to revive supersonic airline travel, harking back to the era of the Concorde.
The flight on Tuesday involved three brief supersonic maneuvers within controlled airspace, granted under a waiver by the FAA, as civil supersonic travel over land remains restricted in U.S. airspace. The XB-1, a smaller prototype of Boom’s Overture airliner, was flanked by two chase aircraft: a Mirage F1 and a T-38. The mission for the Mirage was to support operational needs while carrying a camera pod equipped with IMAX cameras, and the T-38 was responsible for documenting the entire flight.
In typical aviation events, like launches of Virgin Galactic‘s spaceplanes, we often see footage from ground-based cameras or engineering viewpoints. Boom aimed to secure live views from one of its chase planes, which needed cost-effective, off-the-shelf solutions, given their tight timeline.
To achieve this, Boom partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellite internet service has gained popularity as it expands its global coverage. Several airlines are now equipping their aircraft with Starlink to offer high-speed internet to passengers, receiving favorable feedback.
While the standard Starlink antenna was too large for the T-38’s cockpit, the Starlink Mini terminal fit snugly without interfering with the ejection seats. The company has shared insights into how they installed the terminal in the cockpit and tested it via a blog post. Spoiler alert: it involved a Mazda Miata speeding down a runway at nearly 100 mph.
The next hurdle was the camera. It needed to be compact yet powerful enough to capture stunning imagery. The solution? An iPhone. Unfortunately, the specific iPhone model used hasn’t been disclosed, and the company could not be reached for comment.
Thanks to Starlink’s reliable internet connection, the iPhone was able to stream high-quality footage of the XB-1 during taxiing and in flight, even at supersonic speeds. The transition to the iPhone’s camera was evident by the vibrant colors that its software produced.
Boom plans to conduct several more test flights with the XB-1 before turning its attention to the development and flight testing of the Overture.
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