Overview
- The X-59 reached Mach 1.4 at about 55,000 feet in a mission-conditions test flight, a key step toward the community noise trials that NASA plans to run.
- Earlier testing included a June 5 flight that first pushed the jet past Mach 1.0 to validate basic supersonic handling before faster, higher runs.
- NASA used an F-15 chase plane during the early supersonic sorties, which masked the X-59’s sound but will later carry a shock-sensing probe to record the X-59’s shock-wave signature.
- The program will enter acoustic validation and then fly the X-59 over selected U.S. communities to gather public perception data that regulators could use to set new noise standards.
- Built by Lockheed Martin under a multiyear NASA contract, the X-59’s long nose and engine shielding aim to reshape shock waves so people on the ground hear a softer thump instead of a loud boom, which could shorten cross-country travel if rules change.