The jet is now under construction by Lockheed Martin at the businesss Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The following series of images shows NASAs X-59 as it sits on the flight line– the space in between the hangar and the runway– at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. NASAs X-59 aircraft is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. NASAs X-59 aircraft is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023.
NASAs X-59 aircraft is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. This is where the X-59 will be housed throughout ground and initial flight tests. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) mission, spearheaded by NASAs aerial innovators, is a pioneering collaboration between government and market focused on making overland supersonic flight a truth. This advanced action could drastically cut travel times across the United States and internationally.
NASAs X-59 airplane is parked near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. This is where the X-59 will be housed throughout ground and initial flight tests. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The QueSST objective has two primary objectives. First of all, to develop and construct the X-59 research study airplane, equipped with cutting-edge innovation that alleviates the deafening sonic boom typically related to supersonic travel to a gentle thump perceptible to those on the ground. The second goal is to fly the X-59 over various communities across the U.S., collecting important data on how humans respond to the noise created throughout supersonic flight. This collected information will then be shown U.S. and international regulators.
The aim is to utilize this details to compose and implement new sound-based regulations surrounding supersonic flight over land. This could potentially unlock new industrial freight and guest markets, offering the tantalizing possibility of faster-than-sound flight.
This artists idea of NASAs QueSST jet shows the airplanes final setup following years of research and design engineering. The jet is now under building and construction by Lockheed Martin at the companys Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. Credit: Lockheed Martin
NASAs X-59 aircraft, efficient in supersonic flight while reducing sonic booms to quieter thumps, has been moved for testing in California. The collected data on human responses to supersonic noise will potentially assist in allowing business supersonic flight over land.
The following series of images reveals NASAs X-59 as it rests on the flight line– the area in between the runway and the hangar– at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. The relocation from its construction website to the flight line is one of lots of turning points that prepare the X-59 for its subsequent and first flights. Next up, the team will perform substantial ground tests to guarantee the airplane is safe to fly.
Specialists check out the X-59 airplane as it sits near the runway at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on June 19, 2023. Credit: Lockheed Martin
The X-59 aircraft– the centerpiece of NASAs Quesst objective– is developed to show the capability to fly supersonic, or faster than Mach 1, while reducing the loud sonic boom to a peaceful sonic thump. NASA will then fly the X-59 over a number of neighborhoods to collect data on human reactions to the sound generated throughout supersonic flight. NASA will deliver that information set to U.S. and worldwide regulators to potentially make it possible for industrial supersonic flight over land.