NASA and Lockheed Martin debuted their first test run of a low-volume supersonic jet that’s expected to allow air passengers to travel faster than the speed of sound.
The X-59 aircraft on Tuesday soared from Lockheed Martin’s facility in Palmdale, Calif, to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Kern County, Calif.
The plane, after departing, makes a notable thump as it takes off into supersonic flight. The noise has been a major inconvenience to commercializing X-59 flights that travel at a high rate of speed.NASA has committed to surveying members of the public until 2029 to home in on opportunities to mitigate concerns for communities as test runs develop.
The first flight consisted of a lower-altitude loop at about 240 mph to check system integration, kicking off a phase of flight testing focused on verifying the aircraft’s airworthiness and safety, according to the space agency.
Subsequent test flights are expected to go higher and faster, eventually exceeding the speed of sound.
“There’s a lot of trust that goes into flying something new,” Nils Larson, NASA's X-59 lead test pilot, said moments before the first test flight.
“You’re trusting the engineers, the maintainers, the designers — everyone who has touched the aircraft," Larson continued. "And if I’m not comfortable, I’m not getting in. But if they trust the aircraft, and they trust me in it, then I’m all in.”
NASA has shouldered the cost of the developments, paying Lockheed more than $518 million since 2018 to develop and demonstrate X-59, according to agency contracting data cited by Reuters.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who also serves as the acting NASA administrator, called the supersonic jet a "symbol of American ingenuity."
"The American spirit knows no bounds," he said in a statement, shared by Lockheed Martin. "It's part of our DNA — the desire to go farther, faster, and even quieter than anyone has ever gone before."
“This work sustains America's place as the leader in aviation and has the potential to change the way the public flies," Duffy added.
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