NASA, Lockheed Martin Unveil Finished X-59

Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 11:14 PM ET

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Lockheed Martin Photography By Garry Tice 1011 Lockheed Way, Palmdale, Ca. 93599 Event: X-59 - Glamour Shoot Day Date: 12/12/2023 Additional Info:

Key Takeaways:

NASA and Lockheed Martin unveiled the X-59 QueSST, an experimental aircraft designed to achieve supersonic flight without generating a disruptive sonic boom.
The X-59 is integral to NASA's Low Boom Flight Demonstration project, aiming to gather data to inform future regulations for potential commercial supersonic flight over land, which was banned due to noise.
Expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, the aircraft is set for its first flight later this year, with the goal of enabling faster and quieter air travel.

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On Friday, NASA and Lockheed Martin displayed the X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), the agency’s latest X aircraft designed to break the sound barrier without generating a sonic boom. The aircraft was shown off at a ceremony hosted by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works at its Palmdale, California, research facility.

According to NASA, the X-59 QueSST is integral to its Low Boom Flight Demonstration project, which gathers data for informing regulations on potential commercial supersonic flight over land. The initiative comes five decades after the FAA banned such flights due to the disruptive noise caused by sonic booms.

NASA says the aircraft is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph. Because of its shape and technological innovations (the aircraft is 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide), NASA expects quiet supersonic flight to be possible. “In just a few short years we’ve gone from an ambitious concept to reality. NASA’s X-59 will help change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in much less time,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy in a press release. NASA says the X-59 QueSST is set to make its first flight later this year.