Jane Edwards
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.
