The X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft developed by NASA in partnership with Lockheed Martin aims to enable faster air travel with minimal noise impact, potentially changing commercial flight regulations.
At dawn, NASA's X-59 Silent Supersonic Research Aircraft sits on the tarmac outside Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA's Quest mission, which aims to solve one of the major challenges of supersonic flight over land by making sonic booms quieter. Source: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
NASA and Lockheed Martin officially launched the agency's X-59 silent supersonic aircraft on Friday, January 12. NASA aims to use the one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft to collect data that will revolutionize air travel and pave the way for a new generation of commercial aircraft that can travel faster than the speed of sound.
NASA Associate Administrator Pam Melroy said: "This is a major achievement that was only possible through the hard work and ingenuity of NASA and the entire X-59 team. In just a few years, we went from an ambitious concept to a reality. NASA's X-59 will help change the way we travel and bring us closer in less time."
Melroy and other senior officials unveiled the aircraft during a ceremony at prime contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' facility in Palmdale, California.
Design and purpose of the X-59
The X-59 is at the center of NASA's Quesst mission, which is focused on providing data to help regulators reconsider regulations banning commercial supersonic flight over land. For 50 years, the United States and other countries have banned such flights because of the disruption to communities on the ground caused by loud sonic shocks. The X-59 is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 miles per hour. Its design, styling and technology will allow the aircraft to produce quieter sonic booms while reaching these speeds.
"It's exciting to consider the ambition behind Quest and its potential benefits," said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautics research at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "NASA will share the data and technology we gain from this unique mission with regulators and industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet, commercial supersonic travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world."
First flight preparations and future plans
With the launch completed, the Quest team will move on to the next step of preparations for first flight: integrated system testing, engine operation and taxi testing of the X-59.
The aircraft will take off for the first time later this year, followed by the first silent supersonic flight. The Quest team will conduct multiple flight tests of the aircraft at Skunk Works before moving it to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, which will serve as the aircraft's operational base.
"On both teams, talented, dedicated and passionate scientists, engineers and production craftsmen worked together to develop and produce this aircraft," said John Clark, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. "We are honored to be a part of this journey, working with NASA and our suppliers to build the future of supersonic travel over land."
Once NASA completes flight testing, the agency will fly the aircraft over several potential cities across the U.S. to collect opinions on the sounds the X-59 makes and how people feel about it. NASA will provide the data to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators.
Advanced features of the X-59
The X-59 is a unique experimental aircraft, not a prototype - its technology is intended to inform future generations of quiet supersonic aircraft.
The aircraft is 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide. Its shape and advanced technology will make silent supersonic flight possible. The X-59's thin, tapered nose, which accounts for almost a third of the aircraft's length, will puncture the shock waves that normally cause sonic booms in supersonic aircraft.
Due to this configuration, the cockpit is located almost half the length of the aircraft and has no forward-facing windows. Therefore, the Quest team developed the "external vision system" (eXternalVision System), which consists of a series of high-resolution cameras that provide signals for the 4K display in the cockpit.
The Quest team also designed the engine to be mounted on the top of the plane and gave it a smooth bottom to prevent shock waves from coalescing behind the plane and causing a sonic boom.