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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.

Viewing Posts from October 2026

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  • NASA Celebrates a Year of Progress Since First X-59 Flight

    Animated gif of the X-59 first flight vs one year later. Showing the stats from October 28, 2025 to October 28, 2026.

    One year ago, NASA’s Quesst mission made history with the first flight of the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. Since then, the X-59 has completed 40 additional flights, marking a year of steady progress for the program.   While its first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, focused on low, slow flights to conduct systems checks, the X-59 has since reached a maximum altitude of more than 56,000 feet and speeds up to Mach 1.53.  The X-59 has spent […]

  • NASA’s Mike Lippert Takes Controls of X-59 for First Time 

    NASA test pilot Mike Lippert, wearing a tan flight suit and harness, inspects the X-59 as team members work nearby.

    Editor’s note: This story was edited on Oct. 26, 2026, to correct the number of years Mike Lippert has been flying. NASA test pilot Mike Lippert put months of simulator training and ground preparation into practice, completing his first flight in the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. Lippert took off Oct. 21 from NASA’s […]

  • Diving into Maintenance with NASA’s X-59

    Technician diving into the X-59 Duct

    In the California desert, as NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 paused between its 11th and 12th flights, mechanic Jonathan Reynaga climbed a ladder to the top of the aircraft. Reynaga strode down the plane’s wing until he reached the distinctive air inlet that leads to its engine and stuck his head in. And then he dove […]

  • NASA X-59 Pilot Receives Top Test Pilot Award

    Nils Larson holding his Iven C. Kincheloe Award while standing in front of the X-59 aircraft.

    NASA test pilot Nils Larson recently received a top honor from the Society of Experimental Test Pilots for making the first flight of NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft and helping to make its first flight in 2025.  Larson received the society’s Iven C. Kincheloe Award for leading the X‑59 through its first flight and safely expanding the flight envelope to […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Completes Record Six Flights in One Week

    A screen capture from the X-59’s eXternal Vision System displays flight information showing the aircraft traveling at Mach 1.53.

    NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft had its busiest week yet, setting its record for flights completed in a single week while continuing to demonstrate its ability to maneuver at a range of speeds and altitudes.  The X-59 kicked off last week by flying twice on Sept. 22, followed by two-flight days Sept. 24 and 25 for a total of six flights. The run of flights beat the X-59’s previous […]