“Jewel in NASA’s crown”
NASA unveils bang-free supersonic aircraft
January 13, 2024, 12:47 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
30 meters long and 10 meter wingspan: NASA wants to make flight history with the new supersonic jet. It is said that the “X-59” is a step towards commercial supersonic flight. Flights of this type have so far been banned in the USA because of their noise – that could now change.
The US space agency NASA has presented its new supersonic aircraft “X-59” to the public for the first time. The jet, which is around 30 meters long and pointed at the front with a wingspan of around ten meters, was presented on a site belonging to the defense company Lockheed Martin in the US state of California, as live images from NASA showed. The aircraft is the heart of NASA’s “Quesst” (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) mission.
The first flight tests are planned over selected regions of the USA over the course of the year, during which further data will be collected. The “X-59” is a “roughly 30-meter step forward on a path that began decades ago toward sustainable commercial supersonic flight,” said NASA manager Bob Pearce. NASA Vice President Pam Melroy called the aircraft “another jewel in NASA’s crown.”
The special thing about the “X-59”: The machine should be able to fly without a supersonic noise. When flying supersonic, the airspeed is greater than the speed of sound in the area around the aircraft. If an airplane breaks the sound barrier in the air, there is a very loud bang. It is not just heard once, but is created constantly. As long as the aircraft flies at supersonic speeds, certain sound waves are created that travel along its route at the same speed as the aircraft and can be heard. Among other things, because this worries and bothers many people, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned all civilian supersonic flights over the USA until further notice.
The “X-59” is supposed to fly at an altitude of around 16 kilometers at around 1,500 kilometers per hour – and instead of a loud bang, it only produces a noise that is as loud as a car door slamming. Lockheed Martin received around $250 million (around €230 million) from NASA to develop the aircraft. The last time there were regular supersonic flights was around 20 years ago with the legendary Concorde between Paris, London and New York. After an accident in Paris with more than 100 deaths in 2000, operations were stopped in 2003 due to high losses. In addition to NASA and Lockheed Martin, other companies are currently working on the return of supersonic jets.