The massive carbon footprint of air travel is a well-known fact. Just ask any environmental advocate who inevitably gets slammed for their carbon output after taking a long flight. But all the high-speed trains in the world won’t make air travel any less of a necessity of modern life: A new solution for air travel is necessary.

That’s why NASA launched their CAFE Green Flight Challenge, which asked engineers to design a plane that can fly “200 miles in less than two hours using the energy equivalent of less than one gallon of gasoline per occupant.” And–with a hat tip to both the X Prize and Lindbergh’s first transatlantic flight–they’re offering $1.2 million in prize money.

This week, one of the participants, the Elektra, took its first flight, and you can watch it here: