FutureFlight
Hypersonic Aircraft Developer Destinus Resumes Test Flights with 'Jungfrau' Prototype
Destinus, a Swiss start-up that aims to develop a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft for high-speed cargo deliveries, has resumed test flights with its Jungfrau technology demonstrator.
Destinus's Jungrau technology demonstrator is pictured during a test flight in July 2022.
Destinus resumed subsonic test flights with its Jungfrau technology demonstrator in July. (Credit: Destinus)

Destinus, a Swiss start-up that aims to develop a hydrogen-powered hypersonic aircraft for high-speed cargo deliveries, has resumed test flights with its Jungfrau technology demonstrator after the initial test flight of a second, larger prototype didn’t go as smoothly as planned. 

The company is developing a fully autonomous aircraft that can fly at hypersonic speeds exceeding Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. This “near-space” hyperplane would operate in the mesosphere, flying higher than any existing aircraft, and it will be able to make cargo deliveries anywhere in the world in under two hours, according to Destinus. “The hyperplane they are building combines the technological advancements of a rocket with the simple physics of a glider,” a company spokesman told FutureFlight.