NASA’s X-59 Is Picking Up the Pace

Days after breaking the sound barrier, the experimental aircraft hits its target speed and altitude.

Jack Daleo

Monday, June 15, 2026 at 12:18 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

NASA’s experimental X-59 soars over California at about Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet—its intended speed and altitude for a planned noise survey of quiet supersonic ‘thumps.’ [Credit: NASA/Lori Losey]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's experimental X-59 supersonic jet, designed to produce a quiet sonic "thump" instead of a boom, recently hit its target performance of Mach 1.4 at 55,000 feet.
The aircraft's primary goal is to conduct community noise surveys, collecting data to help regulators potentially reverse the 1973 ban on commercial supersonic overland flights.
The X-59 program will also provide design tools for manufacturers, aiming to pave the way for a new generation of quiet commercial supersonic airliners.

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The experimental, supersonic X-59, developed for NASA by Lockheed Martin, may be just months away from soaring over communities across the U.S.

The X-59—sometimes dubbed the “Son of Concorde” for its potential to spur a renaissance in supersonic commercial flight—hit Mach 1 for the first time in June after a series of envelope expansion flights following its debut in October. On Friday, NASA said the aircraft achieved a speed of Mach 1.4 (about 924 mph) and altitude of 55,000 feet, figures the space agency sought to hit when it embarked on its Quiet SuperSonic Technology (Quesst) project.