NASA and Lockheed Martin showed off the finished X-59 Quesst jet today, which promises to usher in a new era of quieter supersonic flight. Skip to main content. Open menu Close menu ...

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.

Watch the unveiling of @NASAAero's X-59 aircraft, set to fly this year to test quieter supersonic flight technology. The Quesst mission could help bring a return to supersonic air travel over land.

NASA unveiled the experimental X-59 aircraft this month with plans to launch gauge the noise of the jet's sonic boom through a series of test flights.

The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, ... The X-59 has been in development since 2016, and can fly at speeds of up to 925 mph, or Mach 1.4.

The X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (Quesst) jet moved to the paint barn at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' facility in Palmdale, California, on Nov. 14, 2023. The jet's color scheme was changed ...

The X-59 rollout just marks the beginning of the Quesst mission’s first phase. Phase 2 will prove out the quiet supersonic technology and test the plane’s performance in the air.

But the X-59 has been shaped to minimize the shock waves that cause a sonic boom midflight, reducing its sound at ground level to 75 decibels. According to NASA, that's about as loud as a car door ...

The X-59 is central to Nasa’s Quesst mission, aiming to challenge the current restrictions on commercial supersonic flight over land, a ban in place for 50 years due to sonic booms' impact on ...

NASA unveiled the experimental X-59 aircraft this month with plans to launch gauge the noise of the jet's sonic boom through a series of test flights.