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Supersonic Flight

NASA is working with its partners to enable new choices for high-speed air travel, starting with commercial supersonic flight over land through the Quesst mission and the experimental X-59 airplane. Even faster flight some day through hypersonic technology is not impossible. Keep an eye on this page for updates about these topics.

The image shows a moment from a computational fluid dynamics simulation of the X-59 aircraft concept during supersonic flight.

Latest Supersonic News

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NASA Calibrates Second Shock-Sensing Probe for X-59 Testing

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2 Min Read

NASA’s X-59 Completes ‘Cruise Control’ Engine Speed Hold Test

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3 Min Read

NASA’s X-59 Completes Electromagnetic Testing

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3 Min Read

NASA’s X-59 Turns Up Power, Throttles Through Engine Tests

1 Min Read

NASA Runs X-59 Engine with Maximum Afterburner for First Time

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4 Min Read

NASA to Test Technology for X-59’s Unique Shock Wave Measurements

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4 Min Read

X-59 Fires Up its Engine for First Time on its Way to…

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NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight

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Quesst Mission

NASA's Quesst mission is to lead a government-industry team to collect data that could make commercial supersonic flight over land possible, dramatically reducing air travel time in the United States or anywhere in the world. The centerpiece of the mission is the X-59 aircraft.

Follow the Quesst Mission Here about Quesst Mission
Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over land against bright blue skies.

Supersonic E-Books

Here are links to three e-books that are free to download. Each offer a different perspective on the history of supersonic research by NASA and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

Quieting the Boom book cover

Quieting the Boom

The Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstrator and the Quest for Quiet Supersonic Flight

Download Quieting the Boom here
X-15 #3 is flown by NASA research pilot Milton O. Thompson in a heat transfer rate study.

X-15

Extending the Frontiers of Flight

Download the X-15 e-book here
Probing the Sky book cover

Probing the Sky

Selected NACA Research Airplanes and Their Contributions to Flight

Download Probing the Sky here

Quesst Mission Image Gallery

88 Images
NASA’s X-59 sits partially outside a white hangar at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Facility in Palmdale, California, during sunset, as engineer...
NASA’s X-59 sits partially in a white hangar and emits bright flames with visible shock diamonds from its engine against an evening sky during ma...
NASA’s X-59 sits partially in a white hangar and emits bright flames with visible shock diamonds from its engine against a darkening sky during m...
NASA’s X-59 sits partially in a white hangar and emits bright flames with visible shock diamonds from its engine at sunset during maximum afterbu...
NASA’s X-59 sits partially in a white hangar and emits bright flames with visible shock diamonds from its engine at sunset during maximum afterbu...
NASA’s X-59 sits partially outside a white hangar at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Facility in Palmdale, California after sunset.
NASA's X-59 airplane sits in its hangar with lights shining on it.
A front view of the X-59 airplane showcases its long, slender, and slightly flattened nose.
NASA's X-59 airplane sits in its hangar with lights shining on it.
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Here is Some Other Cool NASA Aeronautics Stuff to Check Out

Artist Bob McCall

Aeronautics @ Home

A collection of activities and lessons to learn more about NASA Aeronautics and the science of flight that you can do at home.

Two U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School T-38 aircraft flying in formation at supersonic speed.

STEM Learning Resources

Explore hands-on activities, interactive lesson plans, educator guides, and other downloadable content related to aeronautics.

A scale model of an airplane with long and skinny wings supported by a truss is suspended within a wind tunnel for testing. The four walls of the wind tunnel are silver with a blue light illuminating the background.

Aeronautics Backgrounds

Take video calls from your home or office in the cockpit of the X-59 or from inside a wind tunnel! And other aviation themes.

A book cover featuring a pilot wearing an orange pressure suit with its visor closed.

Free E-Books to Download

Add these books covering NASA Aeronautics and other aviation and space topics to your electronic library.

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NASA X Video Files

This binge worthy page collects aeronautics-themed topics from the popular NASA X video series.

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Other Aeronautics topics

Even More Aeronautics
Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over a surbuban neighborhood.

Supersonic Flight

Research about flying faster than the speed of sound.

Aerospace Cognitive Engineering Lab Rapid Automation Test Environment; (ACEL-RATE) in N262 showing out-the-window views of San Francisco for UAM UTM Ride Quality Simulation project.

Flight Innovation

Stories about pioneering the frontiers of 21st century flight.

The Moog SureFly aircraft hovers above Cincinnati Municipal Airport during an acoustic hover test.

Drones & You

All about new ways to get from here to there in the air.

In this image, captured using data from a wind-tunnel test, the red and orange areas represent higher drag, and the green and bl

Green Aviation Tech

Learn about research to make aviation more sustainable.

Airplane outside it's gate at the airport.

Air Traffic Solutions

Read about how NASA is opening up the sky for all.

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