Six decades of NASA’s supersonic research is leading the way into a new era of aviation. This research has resulted in cutting-edge technology and a unique aerodynamic design that will demonstrate the ability to fly faster than the speed of sound without creating a loud sonic boom.
This will be done in flight, through the agency’s newest supersonic X-plane, the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft.
While preliminary flight research continues using F-18 research aircraft, NASA’s test pilots and engineers are developing and training with state-of-the-art tools.
This includes simulators, an advanced eXternal Vision System (XVS), and community response technologies in anticipation of the X-59, which will be used to measure public response to sonic thumps beginning in 2023.
