The Colorado-based company is aiming to build a Concorde-like supersonic aircraft—but has hurdles to clear before realizing that goal.

An aircraft developed by Boom Supersonic became the first independently funded jet to break the sound barrier this week. The XB-1 aircraft accelerated to Mach 1.05 at about 35,000 feet during a test flight Tuesday in the same Mojave Desert airspace in California where Charles “Chuck” Yeager was the first person to break the sound barrier in 1947.