The Boom Prize | Boom Supersonic
Mach 1 The target<br>×2 Flights in one day<br>$800K The prize — and growing
Why<br>Prizes built aviation.
The $25,000 Orteig Prize put Lindbergh across the Atlantic and ignited the airline age. The Kremer Prize produced human-powered flight. The Ansari XPRIZE opened private spaceflight. In 2025, XB-1 became the first independently developed jet to go supersonic. Now it's your turn: no radio-controlled airplane has ever flown supersonic under air-breathing power. The people who close that gap will teach the world something about small, fast, affordable supersonic flight. So we're putting up a prize.<br>Learn more about XB-1
How to Win<br>Four requirements. One day.<br>A winning attempt is two flights, sunrise to sunset of a single calendar day, witnessed by the judging panel. When you're ready to prove it, tell us — we'll coordinate a date and venue with you.
01<br>Break the barrier — level<br>True airspeed above the local speed of sound, sustained 5+ continuous seconds. The entire acceleration through the transonic regime — Mach 0.8 to past Mach 1 — must be flown level or climbing, with no altitude loss. Thrust, not gravity: a dive to accelerate doesn't qualify.
02<br>Air-breathing power<br>Turbojet, turbofan, or ramjet — any combination, including turbojet-boosted ramjets. No rocket thrust at any point in flight. No onboard oxidizer. Period.
03<br>Land intact<br>A controlled landing appropriate to the design — wheeled or belly, on the designated area — after which the aircraft can fly again without replacing major components.
04<br>Do it again<br>Same airframe, same day, reciprocal heading. Refuel and make minor repairs — but the wings, fuselage, engine, and flight computer that went supersonic in the morning must fly again in the afternoon.
The Aircraft<br>Small plane. Real airplane.<br>This is a flying-machine challenge, not a projectile contest. The same vehicle must take off, go supersonic, land, and repeat. Automation is welcome — but a human remote pilot holds continuous command and instant abort authority on every flight.
Max takeoff weight25 kg / 55 lb, including fuel<br>ConfigurationFixed-wing airplane; lift from aerodynamic surfaces<br>PropulsionAir-breathing only: turbojet, turbofan, ramjet<br>ProhibitedRockets, onboard oxidizer, expendable vehicles<br>ControlRemote human pilot with continuous command + abort authority<br>VerificationCalibrated pitot-static + total air temp, sealed data loggers, GPS telemetry, reciprocal runs — per the published Measurement & Verification Protocol
Who Can Enter<br>Amateur means amateur.<br>This prize is for builders — students, hobbyists, garage engineers — not venture-funded aerospace companies. In the spirit of the FAA's amateur-built rule, the majority of your airplane must be made by your own hands.
Individuals and teams Teams of individuals only — U.S. citizens or permanent residents. No corporate entrants. Minors need a parent or guardian to co-sign the registration acknowledgement.
No corporate money No venture capital, corporate sponsorship, institutional investment, or government grants. Personal funds and private donations — crowdfunding welcome, as long as donors get no equity, IP, or control — and every team member must be an active builder, not a checkbook.
Majority-built by you Shown by the records hobbyists already keep — build logs, photos, receipts. Commercial engines, servos, and avionics are fine. Buying a target drone is not.
Pros welcome — on their own time Aerospace professionals may compete with their own resources, without employer funding, facilities, hardware, or proprietary information, and not in the course of their employment.
Your responsibility Entrants are fully and solely responsible for the safety of their operations and for compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Judges<br>The judges.
Jared Isaacman<br>NASA Administrator. Commander of Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn; founder of Shift4.
Phil Condit<br>Former Chairman & CEO, Boeing. Led development of the 777.
Tom Mueller<br>Founder/CEO, Impulse Space. Co-Founder, SpaceX — designed the engines that reached orbit.
Scott Manley<br>Astrophysicist and spaceflight science communicator — asteroid 33434 Scottmanley is named for his work.
The Prize<br>$800,000. First one done.<br>One prize, awarded once, to the first verified qualifying attempt. Sponsored by Boom Supersonic, Alex Gerko, Electric Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Josh Buckley, and Denver Ventures — and the purse may grow further as more sponsors join.
$750KCash<br>Paid within 60 days of verification, split among the team however you direct. Sponsored by Boom Supersonic, Alex Gerko, Electric Capital, Caffeinated Capital, Balaji Srinivasan, Josh Buckley, and Denver Ventures.
$50KBoom stock<br>$50,000 of Boom stock at the time of issuance, at a valuation determined by Boom, issued to your team's designee — whoever builds the first supersonic RC airplane knows things we want to know. The winner may need to execute agreements to comply...