April 25, 2024

NASA Technology Innovations Will Help US Meet Sustainable Aviation Goals

NASA is expanding research to lead the country to a sustainable, net-zero carbon emissions air travel future. Credit: Vehicle image developed by Scott Anders, Rich Wahls and Lillian Gipson; Forest Imagery franckreporter, E+, GettyImages
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson just recently joined federal government and industry leaders at a White House event highlighting sustainable air travel and the administrations focus on medium- and long-term goals to fight climate change.
The occasion highlighted a strategy to decrease air travel carbon emissions through production of more than 3 billion gallons of sustainable fuel by 2030. Authorities from the Departments of Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture announced a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge (SAFGC) to fulfill this goal, in partnership with market and other federal agencies. SAFGC intends to lower costs, boost the sustainability of aviation, as well as expand the production and usage of sustainable aviation fuel to meet 100% of U.S. demand by 2050.
Nelson delivered remarks highlighting NASAs origins as an aeronautics research study organization and history of enhancing air travel effectiveness and security. NASA developments have made aircraft quieter and more fuel-efficient while decreasing their harmful emissions, he stated, making air travel more sustainable environmentally and financially.

NASA will demonstrate high-risk, high-reward technology advancements vital for U.S. aerospace makers to give market innovative, cost-efficient, and sustainable items and services demanded by airlines and customers. Credit: Vehicle image created by Scott Anders, Rich Wahls and Lillian Gipson; Forest Imagery franckreporter, E+, GettyImages
” Our aeronautics researchers are establishing and evaluating brand-new green innovations for next-generation aircraft, new automation tools for greener and safer airspace operations, and sustainable energy alternatives for aircraft propulsion,” Nelson said.
NASA is purchasing cost-sharing partnerships with U.S. business to research study and show high-risk, high-reward technology for next-generation, single-aisle airplane that are at least 25% more fuel-efficient. These airplanes might see service by the early 2030s. Single-aisle aircraft create the largest share of aviation carbon emissions of all aircraft class sizes.
” Were working to keep U.S. companies economically competitive by helping them bring to market the next generation of environmentally-sustainable business transport airplane,” stated Bob Pearce, NASAs associate administrator for aeronautics. “The increasingly competitive single-aisle market is an important course to financial healing for airplane makers and airline companies after COVID, and foreign federal governments are investing greatly in these technologies.”
Under its just recently introduced Sustainable Flight National Partnership, NASA will work together with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and market partners to accelerate the maturation of airplane and engine innovations to make it possible for a substantial reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The collaborations efforts consist of demonstrating brand-new innovation, such as the first-ever high-power, hybrid-electric propulsion systems for large transportation airplane, slim and long ultra-high efficiency wings, and advanced composite products. NASA will also demonstrate sophisticated engine technologies based upon its development developments.
In cooperation with the Department of Energy, NASA will develop battery technologies that can offer the power needed for electrical airplane with vertical takeoff and landing capability, as well as for short-range customer airplane. In the long term, these battery technologies could possibly accomplish the energy density needed for longer-range electrical airplane also.
A memorandum of understanding signed at the White House event calls for the development of a government-wide strategic plan to meet these goals. The SAFGC Roadmap will take a multi-generational method, setting U.S. turning points at 2030, 2040, and 2050.
NASA will add to the nations commitment to sustainable aviation embodied in the SAFGC. Building on its ground and flight campaigns of the previous years, NASA scientists will continue tasting and identifying the makeup of sustainable aviation fuel emissions to verify efficiency, and to ensure compatibility of sustainable aviation fuels with existing and future airplane.
For info on the administrations Sustainable Aviation Fuels efforts, see this new reality sheet.

The event highlighted a plan to minimize aviation carbon emissions through production of more than three billion gallons of sustainable fuel by 2030. SAFGC aims to minimize expenses, boost the sustainability of aviation, as well as expand the production and usage of sustainable air travel fuel to fulfill 100% of U.S. demand by 2050.
Single-aisle airplane produce the largest share of air travel carbon emissions of all aircraft class sizes.
Under its recently launched Sustainable Flight National Partnership, NASA will work together with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and market partners to accelerate the maturation of aircraft and engine technologies to make it possible for a substantial reduction in fuel usage and carbon dioxide emissions.