A new chapter in aviation history is about to be written with the X-59, NASA’s experimental aircraft designed to connect continents in record time. Imagine crossing the Atlantic in just 90 minutes, flying NY
to Europe at speeds 1.4 times the speed of sound.
This aircraft, nicknamed the “Son of Concorde”, successfully passed the flight readiness check, a crucial step that brings it closer to its first flight later this year. A panel of independent experts has carefully reviewed the design of the X-59, identifying possible risks and providing recommendations for their optimization. Once these concerns are addressed, the way will be clear for this quiet supersonic aircraft to take to the skies.
The X-59 is the cornerstone of NASA’s QueSST mission, whose primary goal is to develop technologies that enable supersonic flight without the deafening roar of sonic booms. This project, the result of collaboration between NASA and Lockheed Martin, seeks to revive the era of commercial supersonic travel, more than 50 years after the Concorde was banned due to noise nuisance.
The innovative design of the The data collected during the X-59 test flights will be invaluable for the development of future even quieter and more efficient supersonic aircraft.
NASA hopes to share results from X-59 sonic noise tests with regulators, with the goal of paving the way for the reintroduction of commercial supersonic flight over land. The future of aviation is about to take off, and the X-59 is leading the way to a world where fast, silent travel across continents is a reality.
