U.S. Air Force engineers in March set a world speed record for magnetically-levitated vehicles, beating the previous record by 120 mph. The 846th Test Squadron research team at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico says it propelled a sled with rockets to a speed of 633 mph along a nearly frictionless track supported by four superconducting magnets.

(Watch a video of the test.)

U.S. Air Force engineers set a speed record for magnetic levitation vehicles, 633 mph.The magnets along the 2,100-foot-long test track were cooled to 4 degrees Kelvin (-452 F) using liquid helium, says Lt. Natalia Ocampo, manager of the rocket sled project. Supercooling the electromagnets allows much larger electric currents, producing stronger magnetic fields and greater speed potential.

The maglev system at Holloman helps test weapons or other sensitive systems at extreme speeds without much vibration. It may also help move magnetic levitation technology toward greater use in commercial transport systems and surpass the performance of existing systems, such as Japan’s maglev train, which travels at up to 366 mph.

The next challenge for the Holloman maglev system is to refine the sled design, using lighter materials, to see what speeds they can reach, says Lt. Col. Shawn Morgenstern, Commander of the 846th TS.