Why it took the X-59 nearly a year of flights to finally break the sound barrier

Breaking down the careful, forward march of supersonic engineering.
Morning Overview on MSN

NASA’s quiet-supersonic X-59 reached the speed and altitude its mission demands

NASA’s X-59 research aircraft has flown at Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet, the combination planned for its future ...
Yahoo

NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic jet clears 'major hurdle' ahead of 1st flight (photos)

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. NASA's experimental X-59 aircraft continues to make progress toward its first flight with a new successful round of testing. The X ...
Yahoo

NASA's X-59 jet is ready to break the sound barrier for the 1st time this month

NASA's X-59 jet is on the verge of finally breaking the sound barrier. The X-59 is a supersonic aircraft designed with a radical elongated geometry that aims to reduce the volume of the sonic booms it ...
The Aviationist

NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Fires Up Engine For The First Time Ahead Of First Flight

X-59’s engine started for testing for the first time. NASA’s Quesst (“Quiet SuperSonic Technology”) mission recently achieved a key milestone as it began testing the engine that will power the X-59, ...
New Atlas

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic jet completes maiden flight

NASA's X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) experimental supersonic aircraft took to the skies for the first time on October 28, 2025 from Lockheed Martin's famously secret Skunk Works at the US ...
Flying

NASA Begins Engine Tests on Experimental X-59

NASA's experimental X-59 supersonic aircraft successfully test-fired its engine for the first time, initiating a phase of testing to ensure its powerplant and systems work together. The X-59 Quiet ...
SlashGear

NASA X-59 Top Speed: How Fast Can The Supersonic Jet Travel?

The Lockheed Martin X-59 Quesst, which stands for "Quiet SuperSonic Technology," is an experimental aircraft developed by Lockheed's legendary Skunk Works. That's the same organization that developed ...
autoevolution

NASA Finds Wackiest Name for Experiment Related to the X-59 Supersonic Airplane

The people and organizations working in space exploration are a very creative bunch. And by that I don't mean in a way relating directly to their activities, but when it comes to using acronyms for ...
Flightglobal

NASA strips down X-59 for post-flight inspections ahead of second sortie

NASA’s X-59 supersonic demonstrator sits partially disassembled at Armstrong Flight Research Center following its October maiden flight, with engineers removing dozens of panels to complete required ...
The National Interest

NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Plane Just Made Its First Flight

The X-59 is designed to transform the sonic boom associated with supersonic flight into a “sonic thump”—making it feasible to fly over populated areas. NASA’s new X-59 experimental jet flew for the ...
autoevolution

X-59 Supersonic Plane Spotted Next to NASA F-15, The Two Planes Band Together for a Reason

The American space agency plans to have a supersonic aircraft called X-59 in the air sometime this year, with a major goal in mind. It's a momentous occasion for aviation, as the research aircraft may ...