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this_sort_of_thing t1_iqtydsu wrote

Laws of physics also doom it to some extent. Almost no country will allow them to fly supersonic over land due to the loud sonic boom, so you’re very limited to what kind of routes you can fly. There’s progress in aerodynamics that will reduce it but it probably won’t make it to any commercial supersonic jets for a long while.

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ProfessorrFate t1_iqu91mo wrote

Yup. And also: trans-pac supersonic flight is especially tough because hauling that much fuel over such a long distance (versus TATL routes) poses its own physical challenges.

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