The human arsenal has always been a little on the loaded side, but at the same time, it still hasn’t possessed anything more valuable than that tendency of ours to grow on a consistent basis. This is because the stated tendency has already fetched us some huge milestones, with technology appearing as a rather unique member of the group. The reason why technology’s credentials are so anomalous is largely based on its skill-set, which was unprecedented enough to guide us towards a reality that nobody could have ever imagined otherwise. Nevertheless, if we dig a little bit deeper, it should become clear how the whole runner was also very much inspired by the way we applied those skills across a real-world environment. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence and made it the ultimate centrepiece of every horizon. Having such an ingenious tool run the show, unsurprisingly enough, scaled up the human experience from all conceivable directions, but even after reaching so far ahead, this prodigious concept called technology will somehow continue to deliver the right goods. The same has turned more and more evident in recent times, and truth be told, NASA’s latest move might just propel that trend to far greater heights sooner rather than later.

NASA has officially awarded Boeing a funding worth $425 million to work on the agency’s “Sustainable Flight Demonstrator” project, which is conceived to build, test and fly an emission-reducing single-aisle aircraft. Talk about how the two organizations will achieve such a lofty goal, the answer for that lies within a concept design named Transonic Truss-Braced Wing. You see, the stated concept design is basically constructed around these elongated ultrathin wings, wings that are notably stabilized by diagonal struts and better aspect ratios. The idea here is, of course, to accommodate advanced propulsion systems and create less overall drag, which in turn will make the aircraft burn through less fuel. Going by the available details, this single-aisle airplane can reduce fuel consumption and the subsequent emissions by a whopping 30%. Make no mistake, though, the benefits of increasing aspect ratios have been well-known around the aviation block. However, limited advancements in terms of materials and manufacturing procedures have kept the industry from realizing the idea on a grander scale. This is pretty much why NASA’s presence is so important, as it will let the aviation space use its own progress on the model to accelerate what happens to be a shared pursuit.

“NASA is working toward an ambitious goal of developing game-changing technologies to reduce aviation energy use and emissions over the coming decades toward an aviation community goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Bob Pearce, NASA associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, in a statement. “The Transonic Truss-Braced Wing is the kind of transformative concept and investment we will need to meet those challenges and, critically, the technologies demonstrated in this project have a clear and viable path to informing the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.”

The partnership also provides an interesting follow-up to US’ recent efforts towards reducing carbon emissions. With Biden administration keen to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050, and 20% lower emissions by 2030, the pressure to take an action right now is real.

Beyond NASA’s $425 million, the agreement will also see Boeing, along with its partners, invest somewhere around $725 million to fund the project, which will span across seven years.

“We’re honored to continue our partnership with NASA and to demonstrate technology that significantly improves aerodynamic efficiency resulting in substantially lower fuel burn and emissions,” said Todd Citron, chief technology officer at Boeing.