NASA activates the engine of the X-59, its innovative silent supersonic jet.
NASA intends to reintroduce supersonic flights with its X-59 aircraft.
NASA has successfully conducted the first engine activation of its experimental X-59 aircraft, designed to investigate the possibility of silent supersonic flights. This innovative aircraft, built by Lockheed Martin, is located at the Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, and its development aims to address one of the main obstacles in supersonic aviation: the notorious "sonic boom," which generates a noise loud enough to disturb people on the ground and cause damage to buildings.
Since the retirement of the Concorde in 2003, there have been no supersonic aircraft in civil use in the United States. The complexity and maintenance costs of the Concorde, coupled with the damage caused by the sonic boom, have led to a ban on such flights. However, NASA is working on the X-59 with the goal of enabling supersonic travel without the inconvenience of this disruptive noise. The X-59 is designed to produce a less disturbing "sonic thump" as it crosses the sound barrier.
Recently, tests were conducted where the engine was activated for the first time. These initial tests focused on verifying the functionality of the engine at reduced speeds before advancing to high-speed operation. According to Jay Brandon, chief engineer of the X-59, these early phases were crucial to ensure that all the aircraft's systems—ranging from hydraulic to environmental controls—were operating correctly after being inactive.
Although the X-59 is a research project and not intended to be a commercial aircraft, its aim is to develop silent supersonic technologies that could be adopted by the aviation industry in the future. The Quesst mission not only involves building the aircraft but also seeks to collect data on how noise is perceived by people on the ground, with the hope that the current ban on supersonic flights can be lifted.
For now, the aircraft will remain on the ground while further pre-flight tests are conducted. Paul Dees, NASA's X-59 propulsion deputy lead, expressed that the success of these tests represents the culmination of years of teamwork and is just the beginning of an exciting phase in supersonic flight research.
