NASA and Lockheed Martin’s X-59 completes first flight

Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works division and NASA have conducted the first flight of the X-59, an experimental supersonic jet designed to reduce the deafening “boom” associated with breaking the sound barrier.

The aircraft took off from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and landed safely at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, confirming the basic flight and data systems functioned as expected.

The single-seat X-59 is the centrepiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to demonstrate “quiet supersonic” flight over land.

The project aims to gather acoustic data that could inform future regulations allowing civilian supersonic travel within national airspace, something banned since 1973. Rather than eliminating the boom, the aircraft’s long, narrow fuselage and offset cockpit are engineered to diffuse the shock waves into what NASA describes as a “thump” that might be acceptable to communities on the ground.

Lockheed Martin and NASA officials framed the milestone as an important step for research rather than a prelude to a commercial aircraft. Skunk Works vice president OJ Sanchez said the first flight “verified initial flying qualities and air data performance” and praised the collaboration with NASA engineers. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy called the jet “a symbol of American ingenuity” and said the programme could “change the way the public flies.”

The next phase will expand the flight envelope, including the X-59’s first supersonic runs to validate its acoustic signature. NASA plans to conduct controlled “community response” tests by flying over selected U.S. towns to gauge public tolerance for the noise. If successful, the data could guide future rule changes that might one day allow commercial supersonic routes over land.