NASA and Boeing are developing an eco-friendly plane to achieve zero emissions
To reduce carbon emissions from air travel and meet commitments to combat climate change, NASA and Boeing are teaming up to develop the environmentally friendly X-66 aircraft.
To create the X-66A, Boeing, together with NASA, modified the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 narrow-body passenger aircraft. Changes include a shorter body and longer, thinner wings with stabilizer diagonal struts. The Truss-Braced Wing concept was developed by Boeing.
The engines were also moved from the tail to the underwings and replaced with gas-electric models.
Combined with an advanced propulsion system and sophisticated system architecture, this configuration will reduce fuel consumption and associated emissions by 30% compared to commercial aircraft.
Development of the X-66 began in early 2019 as part of the Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD) project.
Through this project, NASA Aeronautics is collaborating with industry, academia and other agencies to achieve net-zero emissions in aviation by 2050.
