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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’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. […]

  • Hangar Sweet Home for NASA’s X-59

    A white and blue jet airplane is parked in front of a building with large sliding doors and a NASA logo centered on the forward wall. The building is the new X-59 hangar.

    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 […]

  • X-59 Adds Freedom 250 Logo

    A close-up of NASA's X-59 tail showing a NASA graphic on the tail. "X-59" on the side of the jet engine, and a Freedom 250 logo toward the front of the engine.

    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 […]

  • Latest NASA X-59 Flights Go Higher and Faster

    NASA’s X-59 flies above the Mojave Desert on a clear day. The white aircraft has light gray, red, and blue accents, with a NASA logo and the number 859 on its tail. It appears flying level over the desert landscape, with a mountain range visible on the horizon and a trail of clouds above.

    NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft has made its highest and fastest flights so far, expanding its operational range and making progress toward supersonic flight. In a pair of test flights on April 10 and April 14, the aircraft reached new altitudes and speeds, reaching 43,000 feet and 528 to 627 mph (approximately Mach 0.8 to 0.95 […]

  • NASA’s X-59 Shows Streamlined Profile in Wheels-Up Flights

    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. It appears to be flying level over the desert land-scape, and in the distance, you can see a mountain range on the horizon.

    As NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic jet takes to the air, its sleek configuration is now on display thanks to a key milestone it reached in April – flying wheels-up. The transition marks an important step in the aircraft’s testing. Experimental aircraft typically make their earliest test flights with the landing gear down, then begin retracting […]