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NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off from the runway at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. Its wheels are just slightly off the runway. Heat waves are visible off the back of the aircraft as it ascends under a clear sky. Rows of Joshua trees stretch toward the mountains in the background.

NASA’s X-59 Lifts Off for First Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, the result of years of design, integration, and ground testing and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.

Image Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
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