NASA and Lockheed Martin's X-59 completed its first flight, validating low-boom aerodynamics. The jet paves the way for quiet supersonic travel in tests.
© Lockheed Martin
The first test flight of the supersonic X-59, developed by Lockheed Martin together with NASA, has taken place in the United States. The aircraft lifted off from Skunk Works at the Plant 42 air base in California and touched down safely near NASA’s Armstrong research center in Edwards.
Released footage shows the needle-nosed jet tracing maneuvers over the desert. Lockheed Martin said the X-59 confirmed its flight performance and aerodynamic behavior, completing the trial without issues.
Built under the Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator program, the X-59 aims to prove that supersonic travel can be quiet—transforming a thunderous sonic boom into a muted thump. The technology is intended to underpin future passenger aircraft that could fly twice as fast as today’s airliners without disrupting the soundscape above cities.
The next phase will move into true supersonic speeds, as engineers from NASA and Lockheed Martin test the sweet spot for altitude and velocity. The path is incremental, yet the direction is unmistakable: a measured step toward a quieter era of high-speed flight.