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NASA Quesst

NASA's Quesst mission, which features the one-of-a-kind X-59 aircraft, will demonstrate technology to fly supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound, without generating loud sonic booms. NASA will then survey how people respond when the X-59 flies overhead, sharing these reactions to the quieter sonic "thumps" with national and international regulators to inform the establishment of new data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land. Quesst is supported through NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.

  • NASA X-59 Explainer: Science of Sonic Booms 

    The most common misconception about sonic booms is that they’re just the sound created at the moment when an aircraft “breaks the sound barrier.” In reality, a sonic boom is continuous, the audible evidence of invisible pressure waves forming as an aircraft travels faster than sound. As these waves travel toward the ground, they can merge, creating an explosive bang heard by everyone the aircraft passes over.  Sonic booms have been a problem since aircraft first began exceeding the speed of sound, or Mach 1, so disturbing to people below that for decades U.S. and international regulations banned commercial supersonic flight over […]

  • Meet NASA’s New X-59 Test Pilot 

    NASA’s X-59 test pilot Mike Lippert stands in a hangar in front of NASA’s quiet supersonic research aircraft, wearing a tan NASA flight suit and holding a flight helmet under the right arm. The X-plane in the background displays the NASA logo, tail number 859, and “X-59” marking.

    NASA added a new X-59 test pilot to support the agency’s Quesst mission: Mike Lippert, a research test pilot based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.   “This fulfills a lifelong dream of conducting airborne research and experimental flight test for NASA in the high desert — contributing to humankind’s understanding of the science of flight and the nature of the world around us,” Lippert said.  Lippert will fly the X-59, along with the […]

  • What’s a Chase Plane and Why Does the X-59 Have One?

    The X-59 and it's chase plane in flight with a photo of Nils Larson and the text The chase plane acts as an extra set of eyes.

    You may have noticed that NASA’s X-59 has a shadow – another aircraft trailing it from a safe distance. That sidekick is known as a “chase plane,” and it has an important role in NASA’s Quesst mission. Chase planes are commonly used during the flight testing of major experimental aircraft, providing an extra layer of observation and support for test pilots. […]

  • Customize Your Devices With NASA’s New X-59 Digital Backgrounds

    A hand holding up a cellular phone with the X-59 as the wallpaper background.

    In celebration of the X-59’s recent supersonic milestone flights, NASA’s Quesst mission invites you to refresh your phone wallpaper and virtual meeting background with images of this unique aircraft in action.   NASA is releasing multiple images sized to fit your device screens. Your next video call can boast NASA’s X-59 in flight, on the ground – or even from the cockpit.   Chosen from the X-59’s first series flights where the plane expanded its operational envelope expansion testing by going higher and […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Reaches Speed, Altitude for Future Quiet Supersonic Flights

    The X-59 in flight on June 12, 2026 against a blue sky.

    NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft reached a major milestone Friday, June 12, flying Mach 1.4 (about 924 mph) and an altitude of 55,000 feet, the conditions required for the aircraft to make future flights critical to its mission.   The X-59 still has months of performance testing ahead, but after those are complete, NASA’s Quesst mission will fly the aircraft over several U.S. communities to collect data on public perception of the quiet sonic thump it will make at […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Flies Supersonic for First Time 

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above the clouds during its first supersonic flight. The aircraft is shown in side profile during level flight with desert and mountain terrain visible below.

    NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft reached a major milestone Friday, June 5, when it flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time.   The 81-minute flight achieved a speed of Mach 1.1 (approximately 713 mph) at an altitude of 43,400 feet, with the X-59 performing as expected. For NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less, the plane’s instruments were the only indication of flying supersonic — exactly what the team wanted.  “You know you are supersonic when gauges say you are supersonic. I didn’t feel anything,” Less said. “It went […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Undergoes Scheduled Maintenance

    Workers examine the wing area of the X‑59 aircraft inside a hangar.

    After completing a series of initial test flights at high and low altitudes, NASA’s X-59 aircraft is undergoing a scheduled maintenance period inside its hangar. Teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, have removed panels on the aircraft to take a better look inside. This allows for thorough visual inspections to confirm […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Team Testing Aircraft Performance at All Speeds

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center and Rogers Dry Lake in California. The aircraft is shown in side profile during level flight with the compass rose, facilities, and desert terrain below.

    Although NASA’s X-59 is designed to fly supersonic, its test flight schedule is about more than just going gradually faster and higher – sometimes, to make sure the aircraft is fully mission-ready, slower and lower is the way to go. The X-59 has completed initial test flights at high altitudes and near-supersonic speeds, opening the […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Flight Tests Pick Up Speed with Two-Flight Days

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above the Mojave Desert on a clear day. The aircraft is white with light gray, red, and blue accent colors. A NASA logo is visible on its tail, along with the number 859 above it.

    As flight operations for NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft accelerate, its team has picked up their testing tempo, completing two test flights in a single day for the first time. The first dual-flight day was on April 30 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Making its 11th and 12th flights, the X-59 […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Shows Off Early Flight Test Maneuvers

    NASA's X-59 supersonic jet with blue hull and white wing and tail is seen from below as it flies among clouds.

    The envelope expansion phase of any experimental aircraft is critical, not just for pushing the aircraft higher and faster, but for understanding how the aircraft operates in flight. As NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft makes progress through its envelope expansion, the team is assessing data collected during specific maneuvers performed by the X-59’s pilot in flight. […]