--- title: Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator: The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 description: Find out why Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator is one of the best inventions of 2021 canonical: https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-11-10T11:11:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-02T23:55:33.961Z og:title: Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator: The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 og:description: Find out why Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator made this year's list og:url: https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd720682bc99c4edf/698a1e90e76ad2983c639624/best-inventions-2021-XB-1-Supersonic-Demonstrator-18.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator: The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator: The 100 Best Inventions of 2021 twitter:description: Find out why Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator made this year's list twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd720682bc99c4edf/698a1e90e76ad2983c639624/best-inventions-2021-XB-1-Supersonic-Demonstrator-18.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 10, 2021 # Fast and Futuristic Boom XB-1 supersonic demonstrator by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff  Nathan Leach-Proffer—Speed Photos Supersonic air travel once was considered the transportation of the future. But the Concorde—the supersonic jet that flew at speeds of over 1,300 m.p.h. from 1969 to 2003—was grounded in part because of noise and environmental issues. Now, supersonic travel may be back, thanks to the [XB-1 supersonic demonstrator](https://boomsupersonic.com/xb-1), a 71-ft.-long, faster-than-sound jet developed by Denver-based Boom Supersonic. The jet, which tackles the Concorde’s problems with cleaner-burning fuel and noise-mitigation technology, can achieve speeds of Mach 1.7—allowing it to cover the distance from New York to London in 3.5 hours instead of six. What’s more, it can make that journey relying on 100% sustainable aviation fuel—an alternative to fossil-based fuels developed to be net-zero carbon. The company hopes to be flying full-size planes that can carry up to 88 passengers by 2029\. _—Jeffrey Kluger_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/"},"headline":"Fast and Futuristic","datePublished":"2021-11-10T11:11:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:55:33.961Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/","keywords":["list","franchise","best inventions","Best Inventions 2021"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd720682bc99c4edf/698a1e90e76ad2983c639624/best-inventions-2021-XB-1-Supersonic-Demonstrator-18.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd720682bc99c4edf/698a1e90e76ad2983c639624/best-inventions-2021-XB-1-Supersonic-Demonstrator-18.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/best-inventions-2021/6112684/xb-1-boom-supersonic/","name":"Fast and Futuristic"}}]}] ```