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The future of aircraft may look very similar to today’s superficially — but under the hood (or sitting next to the tail fins) they will likely be quite different. That’s the future NASA is hoping to nurture with five research awards worth $11.5 million.
**Transformative Solutions for Sustainability**
The Advanced Aircraft Concepts for Environmental Sustainability 2050 (AACES) program is an early-stage initiative to identify “transformative solutions” that could move the carbon-spewing air travel industry toward sustainability.
**Innovative Concepts**
Two of the awards are more focused than others. Electra, for instance, already has a flying prototype for its electric aircraft, and the award money will go toward advancing its existing tech. JetZero is combining a cryogenic liquid hydrogen fuel source with the unusual blended wing fuselage you see pictured up top.
**Exploring Technologies and Concepts**
The other three awards are more general. Georgia Tech will look into new fuels, propulsion systems, and configurations for its ATH2ENA program. Pratt and Whitney will be exploring a broad suite of propulsion tech to lower fuel consumption and emissions. Aurora Flight Sciences will perform a comprehensive exploration of technologies and aircraft concepts.
**Looking Toward the Future**
Interestingly, none of the electric propulsion and flight startups are part of these awards. Perhaps their visions for the future of aviation are too different from NASA’s goals or they have different funding sources.
The AACES project is part of the Advanced Air Transport Technology project under the Advanced Air Vehicles Program.
