As travelers in the U.S. dealt with delayed flights this week and air traffic controllers missed paychecks due to the ongoing government shutdown, a special flight took off in California.
It was the first flight of NASA’s X-59, described by manufacturer Lockheed Martin as “a revolutionary, quiet supersonic aircraft,” that is “designed to pave the way for faster commercial air travel.”
According to FLYING Magazine, most commercial airliners today fly at roughly 588 to 737 mph. Last month, NASA noted that the first flight of X-59 was expected to be a “a lower-altitude loop at about 240 mph to check system integration,” and that during subsequent test flights the aircraft will continue going faster to eventually exceed the speed of sound (761 mph). NASA said last year that the X-59 is ultimately expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph.
For its first flight, the X-59 took off from the Skunk Works facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif., and it landed near NASA’ Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., around 40 miles away. It performed “exactly as planned,” according to Lockheed Martin.
“The aircraft is designed to fly supersonic while generating a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom,” NASA explained. Lockheed Martin said the aircraft is a “one-of-a-kind” model developed to address noise concerns and restrictions associated with supersonic travel.
Flight testing of X-59 “will inform the establishment of new data-driven acceptable noise thresholds related to supersonic commercial flight over land,” Lockheed Martin added. It also said that data is expected to shape the development of a new generation of supersonic aircraft that can “efficiently and sustainably transport passengers and cargo twice as fast as aircraft today.”
“We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works of this week’s flight. “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.”
Sean Duffy, acting NASA Administrator, called the aircraft a “symbol of American ingenuity.”
Going forward, testing is expected to continue. This testing program by Skunk Works (Lockheed Martin’s advanced development program), which is working closely with NASA “to expand the X-59’s flight envelope over the coming months.” Following successful tests, Lockheed Martin and NASA hope to move forward to measure the aircraft’s sound signature and conduct community acceptance testing.