NASA’s sleek and quiet supersonic jet — which is built to reach speeds of up to 925 mph without producing a loud sonic boom— soared across the California desert in its first test flight on Tuesday, bringing speedy global trips one step closer.
The X-59 jet, dubbed the “son of Concorde,” carried out its first flight at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, with the test keeping to a low 230 mph and altitude of 12,000 feet for its first display.
The X-59’s will eventually hit 925 mph, which is Mach 1.4, and fly at 55,000 feet in the air, more than twice as high and nearly twice as fast as conventional airline jets, all while only causing a tiny boom, which would revolutionize commercial air travel.
“This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
The high-tech X-59, unveiled by NASA and Lockheed Martin last year, is the centerpiece of the space agency’s QueSST mission to produce a quieter sonic boom, with the jet designed in such a way that it softens the blow when it breaks the sound barrier.
Supersonic flights have been banned in the US and other countries for the past half-century due to the thunderous sound generated when planes exceed the speed of sound — 767 miles per hour.
A quieter sonic boom would mean less impact on communities below, paving the way for the jet to be used in commercial flights.
It could possibly fly from New York to London in three and a half hours, NASA previously touted the jet’s potential to cut travel time in half.
The space agency has already paid Lockheed Martin more than $500 million since 2018 to develop the aircraft, which currently measures just below 100 feet.
For its next set of test flights, the X-59 will fly higher and faster as NASA and Lockheed Martin inch the plane closer to testing supersonic speeds.
The Concorde was the last prominent jet carrying out commercial supersonic flights, with the plan originally unveiled in 1976 for transatlantic flights with British Airways and Air France.
The Concorde, however, was scrapped in 2003 due to high costs, limited seating, and a lack of interest from the public following a fatal crash in 2000.
Tickets for a round-trip flight from New York City to London aboard the Concorde was $7,574 in 1996, which would be more than $15,000 today.
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