Optical Control in the Hypersonic Frontier: A Quiet Revolution in Aerospace Propulsion

Introduction: From Instability to Control—The Hypersonic Turning Point Hypersonic flight has long been framed as a race for speed, but the decisive variable has never been velocity alone—it has been control. At speeds exceeding Mach 5, propulsion systems operate at the edge of physical limits, where airflow becomes chemically reactive, thermal loads approach material thresholds,…