NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its historic first flight on Oct. 28 at 11:14 a.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The one-of-a-kind aircraft flew for 67 minutes before landing and taxiing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA test pilot Nils Larson flew the […]
Category: Integrated Aviation Systems Program
NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its historic first flight on Oct. 28 at 11:14 a.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The one-of-a-kind aircraft flew for 67 minutes before landing and taxiing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. NASA test pilot Nils Larson flew the […]
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 […]
NASA Tests Research Aircraft to Improve Air Taxi Flight Controls
Flying the friendly skies may one day include time-saving trips in air taxis to get from point A to point B – and NASA researchers are currently working to make that future a reality. They are using wind tunnel and flight tests to gather data on an electric Vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) scaled-down small […]
NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Begins Taxi Tests
NASA/Jacob Shaw NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has officially begun taxi tests, marking the first time this one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft has moved under its own power. NASA test pilot Nils Larson and the X-59 team, made up of NASA and contractor Lockheed Martin personnel, completed the aircraft’s first low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air […]
- Aeronautics
- Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
- Ames Research Center
- Armstrong Flight Research Center
- Commercial Supersonic Technology
- Glenn Research Center
- Integrated Aviation Systems Program
- Langley Research Center
- Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
- Quesst (X-59)
- Quesst: The Vehicle
- Supersonic Flight
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 […]
- Advanced Air Vehicles Program
- Aeronautics
- Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
- Ames Research Center
- Armstrong Flight Research Center
- Commercial Supersonic Technology
- Glenn Research Center
- Integrated Aviation Systems Program
- Langley Research Center
- Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
- Quesst (X-59)
- Quesst: The Vehicle
- Supersonic Flight
NASA X-59’s Latest Testing Milestone: Simulating Flight from the Ground
NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft successfully completed a critical series of tests in which the airplane was put through its paces for cruising high above the California desert – all without ever leaving the ground. “The idea behind these tests is to command the airplane’s subsystems and flight computer to function as if it […]
NASA, Boeing, Consider New Thin-Wing Aircraft Research Focus
NASA and Boeing are currently evaluating an updated approach to the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project that would focus on demonstrating thin-wing technology with broad applications for multiple aircraft configurations. Boeing’s proposed focus centers on a ground-based testbed to demonstrate the potential for long, thin-wing technology. Work on the X-66 flight demonstrator – which currently […]