Hyperloop is a proposed high-speed transportation system for both passengers and freight. The concept was documented by Elon Musk in a 2013 white paper, where the hyperloop was described as a transportation system using capsules supported by an air-bearing surface within a low-pressure tube. Hyperloop systems have three essential elements: tubes, pods, and terminals. The tube is a large, sealed low-pressure system. The pod is a coach at atmospheric pressure that experiences low air resistance or friction inside the tube using magnetic propulsion. The terminal handles pod arrivals and departures. The hyperloop, in the form proposed by Musk, differs from vactrains by relying on residual air pressure inside the tube to provide lift from aerofoils and propulsion by fans; however, many subsequent variants using the name "hyperloop" have been relatively traditional vactrains.
A 3D sketch of potential Hyperloop infrastructure. The steel tubes are rendered transparent in this image.
TUM Hyperloop
Hyperloop pod competition
Elon Reeve Musk is a businessman and investor. He is the founder, chairman, CEO, and CTO of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO, product architect, and former chairman of Tesla, Inc.; owner, executive chairman, and CTO of X Corp.; founder of the Boring Company and xAI; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI; and president of the Musk Foundation. He is one of the wealthiest people in the world; as of AprilĀ 2024, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $178 billion.
Musk in 2022
Musk graduated from Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa
Then-NASA Administrator Charles Bolden congratulating Musk by the SpaceX Dragon following its 2012 mission
Musk examining F9R Dev1 debris in 2014