Thursday, November 6, 2008

MIT leads team developing future passenger jets

By Mass High Tech Staff

Researchers led by MIT have landed a $2 million NASA contract to work on designs for future commercial airliners that would be quieter and more fuel efficient than current passenger jets. Aurora Flight Sciences, a Va.-based aerospace company with research operations in Cambridge, is one of the participating companies behind the project.

According to MIT officials, a commercial jet based on the final new design could go into service beginning around 2030. The team — which includes Aerodyne Research, Boeing Phantom Works, and Pratt & Whitney — will work through 18 months on the new, more efficient designs.

MIT professor Edward Greitzer is the principal investigator and will work with seven other MIT faculty members from the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and several students on the project, in collaboration with engineers from the corporate partners.

Aurora Flight Sciences purchased Cambridge-based Payload Systems Inc. in October 2007, adding 15 employees to the company’s existing Massachusetts presence. The acquisition also added Payload CEO Javier De Luis to the role of chief scientist of Aurora.

Previously, NASA and Aurora Flight Sciences teamed up with the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory to develop a Mars plane under a $10 million NASA grant.