Officials from the space agency explained that they are looking at making it possible for everyday citizens to be able to fly from the US to the UK - which often takes an average of nine hours on a standard flight - in as little as an hour and a half, although they admitted that the concept may sound like a "far-off dream".

In a statement, NASA said: "Flying from New York City to London up to four times faster than what's currently possible may sound like a far-off dream, but NASA is exploring whether the commercial market could support travel at such speeds!"

Meanwhile, Lori Ozoroski, project manager for NASA's Commercial Supersonic Technology Project explained that "similar studies" for such a project initially took place more than 10 years ago and they will simply be "refreshed"

She said: "We conducted similar concept studies over a decade ago at Mach 1.6-1.8, and those resulting roadmaps helped guide NASA research efforts since, including those leading to the X-59. These new studies will both refresh those looks at technology roadmaps and identify additional research needs for a broader high-speed range."