The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight.

The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight.

      The jet designed to eliminate the sonic boom has achieved full speed

      NASA has already demonstrated that its needle-nosed X-59 can reach impressive speeds during recent test flights. The next goal is to determine if it can surpass the sound barrier without alerting those on the ground. The experimental aircraft recently attained Mach 1.4, roughly 924 mph (1,487 kph), at an altitude of 55,000 feet. These conditions are what NASA intends to replicate in future tests aimed at assessing the X-59’s quieter sonic signature, marking a significant milestone for the agency's Quesst mission.

      NASA’s supersonic jet has reached its maximum speed

      The X-59 initially broke the sound barrier on June 5, achieving around Mach 1.1 at an altitude of 43,400 feet during an 81-minute test flight originating from Edwards Air Force Base in California. A week later, NASA tested it at its full mission speed and altitude. Unlike a future passenger aircraft, the X-59 is a one-seat research plane constructed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. Its elongated nose, meticulously designed fuselage, and top-mounted engine are specifically engineered to disperse the shock waves that typically merge into a loud sonic boom.

      Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

      NASA aims for the noise on the ground to sound like a softer thump. Successfully proving this could persuade U.S. and international regulators to set new noise regulations for commercial supersonic aircraft flying over land. This means that future airlines could adopt technology to reduce travel times between cities without consistently disturbing the communities underneath their flight paths.

      Achieving quietness is the challenging aspect

      Despite this milestone, NASA has not yet accurately measured how quiet the X-59 is during these flights. An F-15 research jet has been flying alongside the X-59 as a safety measure, creating conventional sonic booms that mask the X-59’s own sound. In upcoming tests, an F-15 equipped with a shock-sensing probe will fly close to the X-59 to assess the pressure waves it produces.

      NASA’s X-59 supersonic aircraft. Martin Tice / Lockheed Martin

      NASA states that the aircraft will undergo several months of performance testing before entering its acoustic-validation phase. Researchers will then precisely measure its sonic signature before flying it over specific U.S. communities and soliciting feedback from residents regarding the disturbance caused by the sound. While the X-59 will not transport paying passengers, the data and design insights it provides could aid aircraft manufacturers in creating quieter supersonic airliners in the future. Thus, the vision of Concorde lives on.

The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight. The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight.

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The vision of Concorde is attainable. NASA's X-59 simply needs to eliminate the sonic boom from supersonic flight.

NASA's X-59 has achieved speeds of 924 mph at an altitude of 55,000 feet, moving the agency closer to demonstrating that future supersonic passenger flights can circumvent loud sonic booms.