Virgin Galactic and Rolls Royce have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop engine propulsion technology for a high speed commercial aircraft.

The design is for a plane capable of travelling at Mach 3, or 3,704km/h. The previous fastest commercial plane, Concorde, was capable of Mach 2, or 2,469km/h.

Virgin Galactic stated, “The basic parameters of the initial high speed aircraft design include a targeted Mach 3 certified delta-wing aircraft that would have capacity for 9 to 19 people at an altitude above 60,000 feet and would also be able to incorporate custom cabin layouts to address customer needs, including Business or First Class seating arrangements.

“The aircraft design also aims to help lead the way toward use of state-of-the-art sustainable aviation fuel. Baselining sustainable technologies and techniques into the aircraft design early on is expected to also act as a catalyst to adoption in the rest of the aviation community.”