Originally scheduled for October 2017, the Bloodhound SSC team’s attempt on setting a new land speed record has been pushed back until the second half of 2018.
The cause of the delay is primarily due to longer than expected dealings with corporate sponsors, though there have also been changes made to the design of the car’s rocket propulsion system to increase power.
“It is frustrating to change our schedule again—we know everyone is excited about seeing the car run,” Project Director Richard Noble said in a statement. “We want that too but our pace of development has to be pegged to the flow of funding.”
Automakers Geely and Jaguar are already linked with the project, with Jaguar serving as a technical partner as well as a supplier of support vehicles and a V-8 engine to serve as the Bloodhound SSC’s fuel pump. The team has also signed an IT firm and fashion brand as sponsors. Their identities will be announced soon.
The current land speed record is the 763 mph set by fighter pilot Andy Green in 1997 behind the wheel of the Thrust SSC. Green will also pilot the Bloodhound SSC which is targeted to reach a top speed of over 1,000 mph. The attempt will take place on a dry lake bed in South Africa’s Kalahari Desert.
To reach such lofty speeds, the Bloodhound SSC will rely on a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine normally found in the Eurofighter Typhoon to get it up to around 300 mph, after which a cluster of bespoke hybrid rockets developed by defense firm Nammo will take over. The Jaguar V-8’s sole job is to pump a hydrogen peroxide oxidizer into the rocket.
The team says it’s increasing the power output of the rockets to provide a safe buffer in case the completed car ends up being heavier than earlier estimates due to the multitude of small changes made over the years. The decision to up the power now is so the team won’t lose time further down the track or end up underperforming during the attempt.
