NASA, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, officially introduced the X-59 supersonic aircraft, marking a significant milestone in the quest for quieter and faster air travel. The X-59 is a pivotal component of the space agency’s Quesst mission, focusing on challenging existing regulations that restrict commercial supersonic flights over land due to disruptive sonic booms.
TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL: QUIETER SONIC THUMP AT 1.4 TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND
The X-59 aims to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, reaching 925 mph, while minimizing the disruptive impact of traditional sonic booms. Its innovative design, shaping, and technologies are geared toward achieving supersonic speeds with a quieter sonic thump, potentially reshaping the landscape of commercial air travel.
QUESST MISSION OBJECTIVES: RETHINKING REGULATIONS AND GLOBAL IMPACT
Central to NASA’s Quesst mission is the goal of providing data to regulators to prompt a reconsideration of rules prohibiting commercial supersonic flight over land. For over five decades, the ban has been in place due to the disturbances caused by loud and startling sonic booms. The success of the X-59 could open new avenues for commercial supersonic travel and benefit global travellers.
FLIGHT TESTING AND PUBLIC INPUT: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
Following the rollout, the Quesst team will move to integrated systems testing, engine runs, and taxi testing in preparation for the X-59’s first flight later this year. NASA plans to conduct several flight tests, gather data on the sound generated, and gauge public perception by flying the aircraft over selected U.S. cities. This data will be crucial for regulatory considerations and international cooperation.
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
The X-59, with its distinctive dimensions at 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, incorporates groundbreaking technologies to enable quiet supersonic flight. The unique design includes a thin, tapered nose to disrupt shock waves, reducing the potential for sonic booms. The cockpit’s unconventional placement and the eXternal Vision System contribute to the aircraft’s advanced features.
BEYOND PROTOTYPING: INFORMING FUTURE GENERATIONS OF QUIET SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT
The X-59 is not a mere prototype but an experimental airplane designed to inform and inspire future generations of quiet supersonic aircraft. NASA and Lockheed Martin envision a transformative impact on the aviation industry, ushering in a new era of faster, more efficient, and quieter commercial air travel.
COLLABORATIVE ENDEAVOR: NASA, LOCKHEED MARTIN, AND INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Leaders from NASA and Lockheed Martin express pride in the collaborative effort that brought the X-59 to fruition. The partnership aims to shape the future of supersonic travel over land, demonstrating the potential for quiet and commercially viable supersonic flight.
As the X-59 progresses through flight tests and public assessments, it stands as a testament to the commitment to innovation and the pursuit of a more sustainable and accessible future for air travel.
QUESST
Quesst is NASA’s mission to demonstrate how the X-59 can fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms and then survey what people hear when it flies overhead. Reaction to the quieter sonic “thumps” will be shared with regulators who will then consider writing new sound-based rules to lift the ban on faster-than-sound flight over land.
Quesst is managed by two of NASA’s aeronautics programs — the Advanced Air Vehicles Program and the Integrated Aviation Systems Program — and they do their work at all four of NASA’s aeronautics research centers.
Ames Research Centre in California: X-59 configuration, systems engineering
Armstrong Flight Research Centre in California: airworthiness of X-59, safety and mission assurance, flight/ground operations, flight systems, systems engineering, project management, community response testing
Glenn Research Centre in Ohio: X-59 configuration, propulsion performance,
Langley Research Centre in Virginia: systems engineering, configuration assessment, research data, flight systems, project management, community response testing
