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Artist concept of the X-59 taking off from the runway.

A colorized schlieren image (red and black) of a small-scale model of NASA’s X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) airplane taken inside the 8- by- 6-foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel during a recent boom test.

A view from a window looking into the 8- by 6-foot supersonic wind tunnel viewing a model of the future concept supersonic aircraft model.

Quesst Media Resources

The Quesst mission offers resources to the public and news media such as fact sheets and infographics to provide greater understanding of the X-59 vehicle, supersonic flight, and what is required to fly faster than sound over land. Find much of that content here.

Learn More About the Quesst Mission

Media contact

Kristen Hatfield

Phone

757.817.5522

email

kristen.m.hatfield@nasa.gov

Media Resources

A vector graphic showing the concept of operations for the three phases.

Quesst Timeline

View the Quesst Timeline

A blue and pink background of clouds with a white circle in the middle and the X-59 artist illustration in flight. Below it the text says, Quesst Quiet Supersonic Flight over land.

Quesst Overview

Visit Quesst Overview

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over water and land.

Quesst One-Pager

Read the Quesst One-Pager

Artist illustration of the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology aircraft in flight.

Top Things to Know About Quesst

Read the Top Things to Know About Quesst

A specification diagram showing the measurements of the vehicle, configuration C612 and Control surfaces.

X-59 Configuration

View the X-59 Configuration

Map of the United States showing states that contribute to the X-59. (WA, OR, CA, AZ, TX, KS, MN, IA, MO, MS, TN, GA, FL,NC, VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NY, NJ, RI, NH, VT, CT, MA, IN, OH, MI. Also showing a small map of Canada and the UK.

Companies Contributing to the X-59

View the Companies Contributing to X-59

Graphic showing the different levels of perceived level decivels (PLdB). 60 is a car door slam from 100 feet away, 70, distant thunder, X-59 and Car door slam 20 feet away, Basketball bounce at 90, hand clap at 95, nearby thunder at 104, Concorde sonic boom and Car Door Slam inside car at 106, Balloon pop at 110, fireworks at 115 and gunshot at 132.

Just How Quiet Will NASA's X-59 be?

Read Just How Quiet NASA's X-59 will be

Quesst Mission Image Gallery

82 Images

Quesst mission videos

Quesst Videos

Learn more about the Quesst mission, as well as earlier research NASA has done on faster-than-sound flight. Plus, watch the remarkable set of videos called “The Quiet Crew,” an ongoing series of spotlight videos about the individuals who are part of the Quesst team.

Watch Supersonic Videos on YouTube

special report

NASA, Lockheed Martin Debut Quesst Mission's X-59

NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft on Jan. 12, 2024, at a ceremony in California. Read about the event, watch the video, and learn more about the origins and assembly of the X-59 in this special feature report.

Members of an audience lift their phones to snap a photo of the recently revealed X-59 aircraft. The plane's long, sharp nose appears to jut out towards the audience.

NASA and Lockheed Martin publicly unveil the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a ceremony in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA/Steve Freeman

Quesst Mission Press Releases

Official NASA news releases related to the Quesst mission are listed here.

2 min read

NASA has issued new grants to five universities to help develop education plans for the community overflight phase of the…

News Release

4 min read

NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft Friday. Using this one-of-a-kind experimental airplane, NASA aims…

News Release

2 min read

NASA has awarded a contract to Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. of Burlington, Massachusetts, to support a national campaign…

News Release

Learn More and Get Involved

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over water and land.

Quesst STEM Resources

Explore hands-on activities, interactive lesson plans, educator guides, and other downloadable content about the X-59 and supersonic flight.

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