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Published January 15, 2024, 3:30 PM ET
Aviation officials unveiled a new quiet supersonic aircraft that can fly faster than the speed of sound and fly from New York to London in three and a half hours.
The 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide X-59 supersonic aircraft, dubbed the “Son of Concorde,” was launched Friday by NASA and Lockheed Martin, an innovation that officials said is expected to transform commercial air travel.
The Concorde plane, which could fly around 1,350 miles per hour, was retired about 20 years ago after its launch in 1976 as it struggled with costly maintenance and a fatal crash in 2000.
Its new offspring can reach speeds of 925 miles per hour while producing a less disruptive sonic boom in the communities below due to innovations in design, shaping and technology, officials said.
Over the past half-century, the United States and other nations have banned supersonic flights because planes exceeding the speed of sound at 767 miles per hour produce horrific booming noises, NASA noted in a news release.
The plane's thin, tapered nose was expected to break up shock waves that would cause a sonic boom on a conventional plane, and its cockpit is located about halfway up the plane, meaning pilots relied on camera monitors to operate it would be.
The experimental supersonic jet, which could fly to Europe in about 3.5 hours, will be unveiled at a ceremony in Palmdale, California on Friday. AFP via Getty Images
The X-59 is part of NASA's Quest mission, which aims to “provide data to help regulators reconsider the ban.”
“This is a major accomplishment that was only made possible by the hard work and ingenuity of NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“In just a few years we have managed to turn an ambitious concept into reality. NASA’s X-59 will help transform the way we travel and bring us closer to each other in a much shorter time.”
The plane's thin, tapered nose was designed to refract shock waves that would cause a sonic boom. AFP via Getty Images
The Quesst team was now preparing for the aircraft's first flight, scheduled for later this year, with integrated system tests, engine runs and taxi tests.
After the maiden voyage, the X-59 will embark on its first “quiet supersonic flight,” officials said.
“It's exciting to consider the ambition behind Quesst and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautical research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
NASA test pilots Nils Larson (left), James Less (right) and Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan “Dog” Canin (center) pose with the newly painted X-59 at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale last month. NASA/Steve Freeman/SWNS
“NASA will share the data and technologies we generate as part of this unique mission with regulators and industry. By demonstrating the possibility of quiet, supersonic commercial travel over land, we aim to open new commercial markets for U.S. companies and benefit travelers around the world.”
NASA warned that the X-59 was a “unique experimental aircraft” and not a prototype that could be replicated for commercial purposes.
According to Bloomberg, the cost of the project is $632 million over eight years.
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