Elon Musk isn’t building a commercial hyperloop, his idea to shoot people from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 30 minutes through a vacuum tube. But Musk’s Mars-bound company, SpaceX, is challenging students and independent engineers “to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype.”
Musk first announced plans to build a one-mile test track two years ago. Now the track, located next to SpaceX’s HQ, is apparently ready to go. The company will host a “Hyperloop pod race” there this weekend, as promised last year.
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But inside one of these?
Some companies trying to bring Musk’s Hyperloop idea to life have been accused of hawking vaporware. This competition, however, may ultimately make the idea a little real for everyone. SpaceX says “the knowledge gained here will continue to be open-sourced.”
SpaceX plans to follow this event with a second one this summer, with a specific emphasis on “maximum speed.” The second competition will also be open to students.
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