Quesst Mission
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NASA
NASA’s X-59 Completes First Flight, Prepares for More Flight Testing
After years of design, development, and testing, NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took to the skies for the first time Oct. 28, marking a historic moment for the field of aeronautics research and the agency’s Quesst mission. The X-59, designed to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce the sound of loud sonic booms to quieter sonic thumps, took off…
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NASA
NASA Rehearses How to Measure X-59’s Noise Levels
In a stretch of California’s Mojave Desert, NASA conducted a full-scale “dress rehearsal” to prepare how it will measure the noise generated by the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. The team behind the successful test flight series operates under NASA’s Commercial Supersonic Technology project. Beginning June 3 and concluding this week, researchers conducted a dry run for Phase 2 of NASA’s…
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NASA
NASA F-15s Validate Tools for Quesst Mission
High over the Mojave Desert, two NASA F-15 research jets made a series of flights throughout May to validate tools designed to measure and record the shock waves that will be produced by the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic experimental aircraft. The F-15s, carrying the recording tools, flew faster than the speed of sound, matching the conditions the X-59 is expected…
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NASA
Diamonds from NASA’s X-59
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took another successful step toward flight with the conclusion of a series of engine performance tests. During maximum afterburner testing, a test demonstrating the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight, the aircraft showed off a phenomenon known as Mach diamonds, seen in this image from Jan. 22, 2025. Mach diamonds,…
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NASA
NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight
The team preparing NASA’s X-59 continues through testing in preparation for the quiet supersonic aircraft to make its first flight. This includes a trio of important structural tests and critical inspections on the path to flight. The X-59 is an experimental plane that will fly faster than the speed of sound without a loud sonic boom. It will be the…
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NASA
High-Speed Market Studies
Owing to NASA’s Quesst mission and Commercial Supersonic Technology project, there is growing industry interest in commercial aircraft that fly faster than the speed of sound. In 2020, NASA funded two independent studies to investigate the economic viability of this potential market for high-speed commercial flight. Since then, NASA has funded additional studies to investigate the technology developments needed for these aircraft, as well…
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NASA
NASA Releases STEM Toolkit for Advanced Air Mobility
NASA Aeronautics has released a new STEM toolkit focusing on Advanced Air Mobility for educators and students of all ages. The toolkit, comprised of numerous educational activities, is a free resource for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Advanced Air Mobility mission’s goal of enabling the use of drones and other new aircraft in our skies. Students can engage with…
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NASA
NASA’s X-59 Goes from Green to Red, White, and Blue
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft continues to make progress, most recently moving to the paint barn at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works’ facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59’s paint scheme will include a mainly white body, a NASA “sonic blue” underside, and red accents on the wings. The paint doesn’t just add cosmetic value. It also serves a purpose – the paint helps to protect…
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