NASA Ready to Roll Out Experimental X-59

Here's when the aircraft designed to help shape possible future commercial supersonic flight will be revealed at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works facility.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, January 05, 2024 at 12:21 PM ET

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Artist's concept of the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft that NASA and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works will unveil on Friday, January 12. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA is set to unveil its X-59 "Quiet SuperSonic Technology" (QueSST) experimental aircraft on January 12th at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works.
The X-59 is designed to reduce the sound of a sonic boom to a "gentle thump," making it less disruptive than traditional supersonic aircraft.
The project's goal is to collect data on how communities perceive this reduced sound, which will be used to inform new noise-level standards and potentially enable commercial supersonic flight over land.

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NASA is preparing to soon unveil its low-boom supersonic experimental aircraft, the X-59, at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works factory in Palmdale, California.

The one-of-a-kind X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) experimental aircraft is part of NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstration project aimed at collecting data to help shape regulations for possible future commercial supersonic flight over land.