SpaceX has tapped AECOM to design and develop a Hyperloop test track for a SpaceX-hosted competition that aims to promote innovation among university students and speed up the development of Hyperloop prototypes.
Hyperloop is a type of transport system that would travel up to 760 miles per hour through a network of air-cushioned pods and low-pressure tubes, AECOM said Tuesday.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, proposed the new transport system.
AECOM will incorporate a non-magnetic sub-track into a steel tube that will be used to test prototypes of transport pods as part of SpaceX“™s Hyperloop Pod Competition.
AECOM will begin construction work on the test track in spring 2016.
SpaceX will host a “Design Weekend” as part of the competition for more than 100 student teams at Texas A&M University from Jan. 29 to 30.