The world’s first crewed Hyperloop trip was a success

Sarah lawson

On a call with Engadget ahead of the test, representatives from Virgin Hyperloop told us there was a strong focus on safety, given the level of attention the trip was likely to receive. Both were walked through the tube and shown the various exit points and procedures to ensure that if they failed, they could exit the capsule. Hyperloop said the pair will be in constant contact with the company’s control office throughout the test.

The couple traveled in a brand new second generation Hyperloop pod, named XP-2, the “Pegasus Pod”. XP-2 was designed to comfortably seat and support two passengers. Both seats have sturdy five-point harnesses, the type you’ll find in race cars, but they are the only modification used for the test. That’s because the pod was designed to reflect true Hyperloop travel in as many ways as possible, and real things are seen more like a subway ride than a rocket.

Thomas Yim / Virgin Hyperloop

In order to maintain a comfortable experience for acceleration and braking, the speed of the capsule in this test was limited to 107 miles per hour. That’s less than half of the pod’s maximum speed in the tube, which peaked at 240 miles per hour during testing at the end of 2017. This is mainly due to the length of the tube: 500 meters are only not long enough to reach the sort of speeds the company promises to achieve. But higher speeds will likely be demonstrated when the second Hyperloop facility is built in West Virginia.

As a company representative told Engadget: “This is our moon landing”. Demonstrating that the capsule is safe for human consumption is an important step in its journey. It may also encourage more investors and regulators to join us in helping finance the next stage of its evolution.