NASA recently announced that its X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft will conduct its first supersonic flight test this month (June), marking a significant milestone since the project’s first flight in October 2025. To date, the X-59 has completed 14 test flights since March 2026, set a record earlier this month by completing two flights in a single day, and successfully performed its first landing gear retraction and extension operation; the highest test speed has reached Mach 0.95 (about 1,009 km/h). The first supersonic flight is expected to take place at approximately 43,000 feet over Edwards Air Force Base in California, with an escort F-15 fighter carrying a dedicated shock wave detection probe to take the first actual measurements of the X-59’s shock waves.
The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s „Quesst“ mission, designed and built by Lockheed Martin. Its signature elongated fuselage is intended to significantly reduce sonic boom pressure levels — the goal is to cut the intensity of the boom reaching the ground to about 1/1000th of a traditional supersonic aircraft, making it sound more like a „soft thump“ than a thunderclap. NASA hopes that by subsequently flying the X-59 over multiple U.S. cities and collecting resident feedback, it can encourage aviation regulators to reassess current rules prohibiting supersonic aircraft flights over land, laying the policy groundwork for the return of commercial supersonic flights. NASA project manager Cathy Bahm said: „Next up will be this unique airplane flying faster than sound for the first time.“