NASA 'quiet' supersonic jet nearly ready for flight with new photos released

NASA has revealed its ‘quiet’ supersonic plane has moved closer to the runway as it prepares for its first ever flight.

New images show NASA’s X-59 sitting on the flight line at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California.

The move to the flight line is ‘one of many milestones’ the aircraft will hit as it gets ready for its first flight, with NASA saying in a statement the next stage will see the team conducting ‘significant ground tests’ to ensure X-59 is safe to fly.

The aircraft is the main part of NASA’s Quesst mission, which will collect data that can be used to make supersonic flight over land possible - leading to much shorter flight times.

According to NASA’s Quesst page: “The Quesst mission has two goals: 1) design and build NASA’s X-59 research aircraft with technology that reduces the loudness of a sonic boom to a gentle thump to people on the ground; and 2) fly the X-59 over several U.S. communities to gather data on human responses to the sound generated during supersonic flight and deliver that data set to U.S. and international regulators.

NASA

“Using this data, new sound-based rules regarding supersonic flight over land can be written and adopted, which would open the doors to new commercial cargo and passenger markets to provide faster-than-sound air travel.”

Peter Coen, NASA’s Quesst mission integration manager, said: “We’re definitely ready to write a new chapter in the history of supersonic flight, making air travel over land twice as fast, but in a way that is safe, sustainable, and so much quieter than before.”

It's thought that rather than loud ‘sonic boom’ that are usually produced by supersonic aircraft, the X-59 will instead only produce a 'gentle thump' sound - similar to a car door slamming nearby for those of us on the ground.

NASA

In a statement shared earlier this week, the space agency said: "NASA will then fly the X-59 over several communities to gather data on human responses to the sound generated during supersonic flight.

"NASA will deliver that data set to U.S. and international regulators to possibly enable commercial supersonic flight over land."

If everything goes to plan, NASA is hoping to fly the X-59 over the US in 2024, with residents of the cities it flies over being asked to share what they heard when the plane flew overhead.

This data will then be shared with American and international regulators when the mission draws to a close in 2027 and could help pave the way for big changes in travel times.