Skylon,to go from Paris to Sydney in four hours

British government decided to invest 84 million euros (60 million pounds) in Skylon, an aircraft that could connect Paris to Sydney in less than four hours.
Actually it is the development of an orbital launch vehicle, developed by British Reaction Engines Limited since the mid-90s. Its uniqueness is in its next-generation engine called SABRE for Air-Breathing Rocket Synergetic Engine.

The vehicle design is for a hydrogen-fuelled aircraft that would take off from a conventional runway, and accelerate to Mach 5.4 at 26 kilometres (16 mi) altitude using the atmosphere's oxygen before switching the engines to use the internal liquid oxygen supply to take it into orbit.
First flight in a decade?

Such aircraft would make possible to reach any point on the globe within four hours flight from anywhere. But before getting onboard, we have to wait at least a decade. A complete engine's test is scheduled for 2020.

Even if this project seams to be totaly crazy, it isn't. Look at the aerospace giant BAE Systems, committed to Reaction Engines Limited, tooking a 20% stake in the company through 29 millions of euros.

This aircraft could not only deploy a satellite in 48 hours and return, but it could also join the wild commercial space travel battlet among others SpaceX and Virgin Galactic or Blue Origin.