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.
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. […]
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 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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
From the beginning of NASA’s work to bring its quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft from the drawing board into reality, the agency’s team knew they also needed to make a home for it. But at nearly 100 feet long and 30 feet wide, not just any hangar would do. So, while the experimental aircraft was being […]
A new look for X-59 NASA’s X-59 is helping the nation celebrate the 250th anniversary of its independence with an update to its livery – its official paint job and insignia. The X-59 has sported a Freedom 250 logo on its engine since its second flight, and it will continue showing off the new detail […]
