The team behind the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car (SSC) has announced that the first test run will take place in November. The test is part of the team's preparation for a new world land speed record attempt. The ultimate targeted speed is a spritely 1,000 mph (1,609 km/h).
The UK-based Bloodhound Project is headed by director Richard Noble and driver Andy Green. The two worked together on the Thrust SSC project through which Green set the current world land speed record of 1,227.985 km/h (763.035 mi/h) on 15 October 1997 in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA.
The team announced its intention to try for a new world record in 2008. Among its milestones since then have been test firings of the rocket engine, the unveiling of the car's cockpit and a comms test that marked the 12-month countdown to the upcoming test runs.
The first, 200-mph (322-km/h) run will take place at Newquay Aerohub in Cornwall, UK, on Nov. 17, 2015. Assuming all goes to plan, the car Bloodhound car will then be fitted with airbrakes and winglets for high-speed testing in Hakskeen Pan, South Africa, in 2016.
The results from those 2016 tests will provide an insight into where the team stands in terms of reaching its 1,000 mph (1,609 km/h) goal.
The animation below shows what will be happening inside the Bloodhound SSC during it's world record attempt.
Source: The Bloodhound Project
Going faster than Mach I brings on a whole raft of issues.