NASA's X-59 Supersonic Research Aircraft Prepared for Testing

NASA's X-59 Supersonic Research Aircraft Prepared for Testing

NASA’s X-59 was moved to Run Stall 5. Technicians check out the X-59 supersonic aircraft as it sits near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

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.

NASA's X-59 supersonic research aircraft parked inside the hangar with a head-on view

NASA’s X-59 research aircraft has moved from its construction site to the flight line—or the space between the hangar and the runway—at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 16, 2023. This milestone kicks off a series of ground tests to ensure the X-59 is safe and ready to fly.

The X-59 is designed to fly faster than Mach 1 while reducing the resulting sonic boom to a thump for people on the ground. NASA will evaluate this technology during flight tests as part of the agency’s Quesst mission, which helps enable commercial supersonic air travel over land.

For more information about NASA's quiet supersonic mission, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/Quesst

Hablas español? Visita: https://ciencia.nasa.gov/el-x-59-se-asemeja-una-aeronave-real para aprender mas sobre la mision Quesst

X-59 Free Maker Bundle (STEM Education):

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/x-59-maker-bundle-v8.pdf

Image Credit: Lockheed Martin

Location: Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, Palmdale, California, USA

Release Date: July 6, 2023

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