NASA's recently-retired SOFIA airborne observatory aircraft, the "flying telescope," also called Plant 42 home. The agency's ...

NASA announced a successful test of its X-59 aircraft at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., that could lead to ...

NASA’s new experimental aircraft, the X-59, is one step closer to taking to the skies. This sleek, 100-foot-long plane, often ...

NASA's X-59 is taking slow steps towards supersonic flight, beginning taxiing tests at US Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, ...

The experimental aircraft has begun a series of low-speed taxi tests at contractor Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in ...

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The X-59 during its roll out on Jan. 12, 2024. (Image credit: NASA) Powered by a modified F414-GE-100 engine with 22,000 pounds of thrust, the X-59 is expected to reach Mach 1.4, or 925 mph, at ...

NASA’s X-59 aircraft is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. This is where the X-59 will be housed during ground and initial flight tests.

The X-59 was developed as part of NASA's Quesst program (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), which aims to develop aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing thunderous sonic booms.

The X-59 is so long and streamlined that its cockpit has no forward-facing window. Instead, the pilot uses an External Vision System (XVS) created by NASA to fly the plane.

The X-59 has been in development since 2016, and can fly at speeds of up to 925 mph, or Mach 1.4. It is just shy of 100 feet long and has an elongated shape that is designed to prevent shock ...

NASA's new experimental aircraft will go thump in the night – that's the plan, anyway. The X-59, set to be unveiled in Palmdale, California, on Friday, is designed to turn the volume down on ...