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CFD image of the NASA X-43A at Mach 7 In aerodynamics, hypersonic speed refers to speeds much faster than the speed of sound, usually more than approximately Mach 5.
The precise Mach number at which a craft can be said to be flying at hypersonic speed varies, since individual physical changes in the airflow (like molecular dissociation and ionization) occur at different speeds; these effects collectively become important around Mach 5–10. The hypersonic regime can also be alternatively defined as speeds where specific heat capacity changes with the temperature of the flow as the kinetic energy of the moving object is converted into heat.