MEXICO: BILLIONAIRE Elon Musk wants to jump-start his Hyperloop high-speed transit system.MUSK’S rocket-building company, SpaceX, has announced it plans to build a 1.6km test track next to its headquarters in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne and will hold a competition there next year to test designs for passenger-carrying Hyperloop pods.
It’s the first time Musk’s company has been directly involved in the Hyperloop project, although several private firms are pursuing research.
Suggested by Musk two years ago, the idea is to zoom passenger capsules through elevated tubes between Los Angeles and San Francisco at speeds of up to 1200km/h. The concept pulls together several proven technologies: Capsules would float on a thin cushion of air and draw on magnetic attraction and solar power to zoom through a nearly airless tube.
With little wind resistance, the capsules could reach the speed of sound and the 650km ride would take a half-hour.
The competition aims to attract independent and university engineering teams who will design and test half-scale models of the pods. The submission deadline is September 15 and the competition is roughly scheduled for next June.
Online forms for those intending to compete are available at: www.Spacex.com/hyperloop.
“While we are not developing a commercial Hyperloop ourselves, we are interested in helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype,” a statement on the site read.
There was no immediate word on the nature of the prize. Full rules and other details will be released in August.
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