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NASA Has Awarded Two Firms $250 Million to Develop Electric Passenger Jets by 2035
NASA just paid $250 million for two firms to develop systems for short-haul electric aircraft by 2035! And the agency is just getting started.
Science & Tech
NASA is diving into the all-electric future of transportation.
NASA has awarded contracts with a combined worth of $250 million to two firms to develop new electric propulsion technologies for short-range regional passenger aircraft in the U.S., according to a recent press release from the agency.
As part of its Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) Program, NASA has selected GE Aviation in Cincinnati and MagniX in Redmond, to rapidly bring "electric aircraft propulsion technologies to maturity," read the agency release.
Two firms have five years to complete electric passenger aircraft designs for NASA
The EPFD Program aims to research, build, and deploy electric passenger aircraft in the U.S. no later than 2035. And to make it happen, "GE Aviation and MagniX will perform integrated megawatt-class powertrain system ground and flight demonstrations to validate their concepts, and project benefits for future EAP aircraft configurations," said EPFD Project Manager Gaudy Bezos-O'Conner, of NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. "These demonstrations will identify and retire technical barriers and integration risks. It will also help inform the development of standards and regulations for future EAP systems."