China is developing a hypersonic plane - larger than a Boeing 737 and able to jet passengers anywhere in the world in an hour.

Scientists working on China's moon and Mars missions are building the supersonic transporter, according to the South China Morning Post.

In a study in the journal Physics of Gases, Liu Rui of the Beijing Institute of Technology and collaborators from the Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering said their findings would have "applications in similar engineering projects."

Liu is a scientist with China's Mars landing and lunar-rock sample missions, according to SCMP. Both missions needed spacecraft to travel at hypervelocity in the atmosphere - something China lacks firsthand knowledge of owing to its few visits to Mars.

The 148-foot-long plane has Concorde-style delta wings with upturned tips. According to the report, this design provides numerous aerodynamic challenges because the aircraft travels at hypersonic speeds - or more than five times the speed of sound.

To analyze the plane's performance at high altitudes, researchers used a new aerodynamic model proved useful in China's most recent space missions.

In an official schedule released last month, China aims to finish its experiments to validate all essential components of hypersonic flight by 2025, including a new type of air-breathing engine capable of propelling an aircraft to rocket speed.

By 2035, China hopes to have a fleet of hypersonic aircraft capable of transporting 10 passengers to any location on Earth in less than one hour. According to the projections, by 2045, these planes will be carrying more than 100 passengers every flight.

Hypersonic aircraft are significant in China's high-technology goals.