1,000 mph Car 1 Step Closer After Successful Test (VIDEO)
Engineers working on making an engine to propel a car over 1,000 mph successfully tested the engine, providing confidence that one day, it could be used to break the land speed record.
The rocket engine will be fitted to the Bloodhound SSC, a needle-nosed shaped craft that will attempt to be the first land craft to travel over 1,000 mph.
A British team is behind the project and tested the rocket engine inside an aircraft shelter at Newquay Cornwall Airport.
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The data that was collected from the test has yet to be fully analyzed. The engine is thought to have produced over 30,000 horsepower, according to estimates, during the 10-second test. The engine has been designed to produce more than 80,000 horsepower and 27,500 pounds of thrust at maximum power, according to FOX News.
The vehicle that will house the rocket engine is still under construction and will also use a jet engine from a Typhoon fighter plane, which will accelerate the vehicle to more than 230 mph. At that time, the rocket system would be engaged and propel the vehicle to its target speed of 1,050 mph. It is estimated that it will take just 42 seconds to reach that mark.
The newly developed engine has been described as a hybrid, and it uses a mixture of a liquid peroxide oxidizer and solid synthetic fuel. The engine also uses components from a Formula 1 racing car as an ignition system. The design has been praised for being extremely safe as it is stated to be safer than a single liquid or solid-fueled rocket.
Three more tests of the engine system have been scheduled before they attempt to break the land speed record. That attempt is scheduled for next year at the Hakskeen Pan dry lake bed in South Africa. They will line out a 12-mile track and the craft is expected to reach the top speed in less than seven miles.
