Reaching its peak altitude at about 46,000 feet, the rocket plane was released from the mothership and fell away as the crew ignited its rocket, sending it up at supersonic speed.

He urged improvements in research capacity in the field amid the global trend of revolutionizing the oxyhydrogen technology, supersonic engines, as "they (the new materials) all require a major upgrade of current fine chemical products".

The hyperloop is a shuttle that runs on magnetic rails in a vacuum-tube, enabling a near supersonic speed with little resistance.

China's leading online travel agency Ctrip said it has made a strategic investment in supersonic airplane developer Boom Supersonic.

The two companies are working together to bring supersonic flight to China, according to a statement from Ctrip on Wednesday.

Ctrip will leverage its extensive knowledge of the Chinese aviation market to help Boom accelerate its ongoing partnership efforts with airlines in China, while Boom will help Ctrip explore offering its customers 10 to 15 seats on one of Boom's first several supersonic commercial flights.

Boom is building a supersonic airliner capable of carrying 55 passengers at 2,335 kilometers per hour, more than twice as fast as current passenger aircraft.

Airbus is tracking more than 200 core start-up companies worldwide, many in China, in aerospace areas such as drones, supersonic business jets and satellites.