Exosonic followed the fate of the British from Reaction Engines
Civilian supersonic startup Exosonic has announced it is shutting down due to a lack of funding.
The startup joins promising passenger drone startup Lilium and hypersonic engine maker Reaction Engines, which have also filed for bankruptcy in recent weeks.
Exosonic was founded in 2019 by engineer Norris Tie, a former employee of Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. The company wanted to create civilian supersonic transport aircraft. The company has had some success, raising $6.5 million in capital and signing contracts with the U.S. Air Force to develop supersonic training drones.
Exosonic planned to build a series of aircraft, including a supersonic airliner called Horizon, a supersonic drone called Revenant, and a smaller supersonic drone called Trident. In April 2024, the company even managed to fly a prototype.
However, Exosonic was unable to raise the necessary funds to continue operations and therefore closed. The company announced that it was selling its intellectual property to interested buyers.
“To all of our supporters, we thank you for your support and shared love for our company’s vision and mission,” Exosonic said. “To those who continue the race – such as Boom Supersonic, Hermeus, Destinus, Venus Aerospace, Spectre Aerospace and others – we wish you success in your supersonic/hypersonic projects. We will be supporting you from the sidelines.”