US EditionQuiet supersonic X-59 jet soars over California desert in first test flight
The X-59 jet aims to enable commercial supersonic travel over land by reducing sonic boom noise to a gentle thump, a major barrier lifted by a 2025 FAA ruling.
- At 10:13 a.m. EDT, the X-59 took off from Plant 42 in Palmdale and landed near Armstrong, completing its first flight, according to Lockheed's Skunk Works.
- Funded with more than $518 million, the X-59 was designed to fly faster than sound without producing loud sonic booms, and program data will inform new noise thresholds.
- Flying oval-shaped racetrack patterns over Edwards Air Force Base, the single-engine X-59, just under 100 feet , reached 230 mph and a peak altitude of 12,000 feet .
- NASA will continue to lead the X-59's initial test campaign, and the jet will reside at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center for sound and community testing in the coming months.
- Successful tests position the X-59 to influence rules governing supersonic flights, as if it proves quiet, commercial supersonic flight over land could benefit disaster relief and medical transport.
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With an investment of $518 million since 2018, X-59 promises to revolutionize commercial aviation by flying to Mach 1.4 without generating sonic stampede
The Independent
The Independent (US)Could a new supersonic jet save you travel time? NASA just ran its first test flight
The jet performed ‘exactly as planned’ during its test flight over California
In view of the improved successor of supersonic aviation, the X-59 aircraft survived the California desert for the first time. For NASA, "X-59 is a symbol of American skill".
Supersonic travel could return – without the boom – as NASA tests X-59 jet
NASA's experimental X-59 supersonic jet recently completed its first test flight after years of development and delays. Aeronautical engineers at Lockheed Martin designed the aircraft to produce quiet sonic booms, potentially allowing supersonic flight over land and cutting travel times in half.Read Entire Article
997wpro.com
NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Jet Takes First Flight
NASA and Lockheed Martin’s experimental X-59 jet completed its first test flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, a milestone in the agency’s effort to prove that passenger aircraft can fly faster than sound without the window-rattling sonic booms that have long kept supersonic travel off U.S. routes over land. Piloted by NASA’s Nils Larson, the sleek, single-seat X-plane departed Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale and landed at NASA’s Armstron…
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