Aviation Week reports that NASA is considering ambitious new aeronautics initiatives, including experimental X-plane programs and a potential return to flight for the legendary SR-71 Blackbird. Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson suggested the agency could unveil new plans during its inaugural MAX Power air show, scheduled for 7–8 November at Kennedy Space Center. According to Aviation Week, NASA hopes to “revitalize its aeronautics portfolio,” focusing on breakthrough technologies and experimental aircraft.
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Tag: X-59
How NASA’s X-59 and New FAA Rules Could Return Supersonic Flight Over Land
Aerospace Global News reports Sonic booms kept supersonic flight off land for 50 years. See how NASA’s X-59 shock-wave design and a proposed FAA noise limit are paving the way for a…
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NASA’s X-59 Moves Closer to Boom-Free Supersonic Travel
Ars Technica reports, “More than two decades since the Concorde supersonic airliner last took to the skies, NASA has been flying an experimental aircraft designed to replace loud sonic booms with a quieter thump equivalent to a car door slamming shut 20 feet away.”
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NASA X-59 Reaches Mach 1.4 at Mission Altitude
Aviation Week reports, “NASA’s X-59 Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator achieved Mach 1.4 at 55,000 ft. on June 12, representing the speed and altitude planned for flights over U.S. communities to measure the public response to reduced sonic booms.”
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NASA Advances Quiet Supersonic Travel as X-59 Exceeds Mach 1
Aviation News reports, “NASA’s X-59 QueSST experimental aircraft has successfully completed its first supersonic flight, marking a significant step forward in the development of quieter high-speed air travel. The aircraft exceeded the speed of sound on June 5, 2026, as part of its ongoing flight-test program in the United States.”
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NASA’s X-59 Prepares for First Supersonic Flight This Month
SPACE reports, “NASA’s X-59 jet is on the verge of finally breaking the sound barrier as the agency looks forward to the aircraft’s first supersonic flight this month.”
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NASA Accelerates X-59 Flight Campaign Ahead of First Supersonic Test
Aviation Week reports, “NASA is continuing to speed up the rate of X-59 flight tests as the Quesst low-boom supersonic demonstrator program builds up to its first Mach 1 faster-than-sound milestone flight. The needle nose Lockheed Martin Skunk Works-built aircraft has so far accumulated around 19.6 flight hours on 16 flights, eight of which were completed in April.”
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NASA Advances X-59 Testing After Resolving Cockpit Alert Issue
Aviation Week reports, “The cockpit warning light that cut short the second flight of NASA’s X-59 low-boom supersonic flight demonstrator on March 20 proved to be a false positive and the aircraft resumed envelope expansion testing with back-to-back flights on March 26 and 27. The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works-built X-59 was forced to return to base at Edwards AFB, California, after only 9 min. of a planned hour-long flight on March 20 when NASA Test Pilot Jim Less saw a vehicle system warning in the cockpit.”
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NASA’s X-59 Collects Valuable Data Despite Shortened Second Flight
Aviation International News reports, “NASA’s X-59 supersonic demonstrator returned to the skies on Friday morning for a nine-minute flight that was cut short after a warning light illuminated. However, NASA officials said they were still able to gather data during the second flight from the aircraft built in collaboration with Lockheed Martin at its Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.”
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X-59 Low-Boom Aircraft Enters New Phase of Supersonic Flight Testing
Aviation Week takes the wraps off NASA’s Lockheed Martin-built X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft as preparations begin for envelope expansion tests.
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