Following the lifting of the flight ban on supersonic passenger aircraft over the continental United States, NASA's X-59 silent supersonic aircraft completed its maiden flight in California.
NASA announced earlier that its X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology experimental aircraft, developed in collaboration with Lockheed Martin for nearly a decade with the goal of eliminating sonic booms, has completed its maiden flight in California. This successful first flight marks a crucial step towards restarting the possibility of commercial supersonic flight over land. The lifting of the 2025 ban presents a new opportunity. Following the U.S. government's executive order on June 6th of this year, officially lifting the 1973 ban on supersonic passenger aircraft flying over U.S. soil, NASA and Lockheed Martin have strengthened their cooperation, particularly regarding the X-59 research. The flight data collected will be used to develop technologies related to commercial supersonic flight over land, and to provide crucial scientific evidence for studying acceptable noise thresholds during flight. Flight tests validated initial performance; subsequent community acceptance testing will follow. According to Lockheed Martin, the flight took place on Tuesday (October 28th). The X-59 took off from Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, and landed safely at its new base—NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center. Lockheed Martin stated, "The X-59's performance was fully in line with plan, validating its initial flight qualities and aerodynamic data." Following the successful maiden flight, NASA and Lockheed Martin plan to conduct subsequent tests, focusing on measuring the X-59's "sound signature"...