Published • loading... • Updated
NASA Quietly Explores Return to Flight for Historic SR-71A After 27 Years
NASA has contacted former SR-71 engineers as the restoration would require major parts, fuel and maintenance work, officials said.
- Earlier this year, NASA moved SR-71A, tail number 844, from its outdoor display at Armstrong Flight Research Center to a hangar, suggesting the agency is examining whether the aircraft can fly again nearly 27 years after its last flight.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recently hinted at renewed high-speed flight initiatives, showing a silhouette resembling the Blackbird at a September event and stating, "It will not be long before NASA once again is flying as high and as fast as we had in decades past."
- Restoring the airframe presents significant hurdles, including sourcing specialized JP-7 fuel and replacing destroyed spare parts, while former test engineer Mike Relja declined an offer to help due to the intensive maintenance required, which previously involved checking 650 items after every flight.
- Aviation Week reports NASA reached out to former engineers about a potential return-to-flight program, though the agency has not confirmed its existence; the aircraft last flew on October 9, 1999, and has remained dormant for nearly three decades.
- A revived SR-71 could support high-speed research, though reactivation costs would likely exceed $85 million and require rebuilding supply chains for the J58 turbojets, which powered the aircraft to Mach 3.2 at altitudes around 85,000 feet.
Insights by Ground AI
Podcasts & Opinions
12 Articles
12 Articles
NASA could bring back SR-71 as missing Blackbird sparks wild speculation about the world's fastest plane ever and former staffers contacted for 'help'
Reviving the 59-year-old jet would require rebuilding fuel, spares and expertise, and NASA has so far refused to explain why.
·Bath, United Kingdom
Read Full Article
The American space agency may be very close to surprising the aviation world by returning one of the most emblematic machines in aerospace history. Several recent reports tell of very discreet contacts made by NASA with former pilots, technicians and engineers who have integrated the original program of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. The goal passes [...]
·Lisboa, Portugal
Read Full Article
The agency has withdrawn from exposure to SR-71A 844 and sought out former program specialists to study whether the supersonic plane can fly again
·Madrid, Spain
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left0Leaning Right5Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Right
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources lean Right
62% Right
C 38%
R 62%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
