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 and Lockheed Martin's experimental X-59 supersonic aircraft recently achieved Mach 1.4 at 55,000 feet, a key performance target for its mission.
The X-59 is designed to produce a quiet sonic "thump" instead of a disruptive boom, aiming to overcome the long-standing FAA ban on commercial supersonic flight over land.
Data collected from upcoming community noise surveys with the X-59 will be shared with regulators to establish new noise standards, potentially paving the way for a return of supersonic commercial travel.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.