Flying across the world from Europe to Australia currently takes around 20 hours in a regular passenger jet.
Thats five times the speed of sound: over 6000 kph.
This would take you from Frankfurt to Sydney in just over four hours.
London to New York?
The second (15m) will fund research into liquid hydrogen-powered propulsion systems.
With these grants, hydrogen-based solutions for aeronautical mobility will be one step closer to becoming a reality.
But dont start planning your holiday just yet.
Hydrogen-powered aircraft are still very much in their infancy, and have been plagued by issues from the outset.
It is also currently 20 times more expensive than jet fuel, and isunlikelyto become price competitive this decade.
And things get even more complicated when taking these aircraft to hypersonic speeds.
While this is definitely a big reality check, it hasnt necessarily deterred investors.
VCs are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into hypersonic startups such asHermeusandVenice Aerospace.
Researchers are alsohard at workironing out some of the technical hurdles.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
