A "Spaceplane" that travels 25 times faster than the speed of sound has successfully passed a crucial testing milestone.
The Sabre air-breathing rocket engine is so fast it could jet from the UK to New Zealand in approximately four hours and transport travellers from London to New York in less than 60 minutes.
Oxford-based Reaction Engines has been working with the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency, along with BAE Systems, to make the hypersonic plane, BBC reports.
![The engine could power a plane from New York to London in one hour. Photo / Reaction Engines](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/EOZTOBA4MTKOAFFKTSWPT2M6MY.jpg?auth=8ec496b4776d1c8b013058f2d7cdb39bbc4dd0f3a98f15fa174c4250b211040f&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)
Reaction Engines is planning to combine the fuel efficiency of a jet engine with the power and speed of a rocket in order to drive space planes to orbit and take airliners around the world in just a few hours.