NASA reveals silent supersonic plane for flights

During Friday’s launch event, the agency announced intentions to test over US cities to assess noise impact on residents below.

Nasa revealed an unprecedented low-noise supersonic aircraft, aligning with the US space agency’s goal to enable commercial supersonic flight.

During a collaborative event with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on Friday, Nasa introduced the X-59, an experimental aircraft anticipated to reach speeds of 1.4 times the speed of sound, equivalent to 925mph (1,488 km/h).

The airplane, measuring 99.7ft (30.4 meters) in length and 29.5ft in width, features a slender, tapered nose occupying nearly one-third of its overall length. This design element is intended to scatter shock waves, commonly associated with supersonic aircraft and causing sonic booms. To optimize the aircraft’s supersonic performance, engineers strategically placed the cockpit near the midpoint of its length and eliminated the conventional forward-facing windows found in other aircraft.

Detailing the arrangements during the launch event on Friday, Nasa’s deputy administrator, Pam Melroy, stated, “We chose to prioritize quietness, but it represents a significant stride in advancing aviation technology in its own right.”

Facing the significant challenge of restricted visibility in the cockpit, the team created an external vision system—an impressive combination of high-resolution cameras providing input to an ultra-high-resolution monitor.

Melroy further commented that the external vision system could impact future aircraft designs, as the absence of a traditional forward-facing window might offer engineering advantages, as it did in our case.

The aircraft is equipped with a top-mounted engine and a sleek underside to prevent the formation of shock waves behind it, thus mitigating the occurrence of sonic booms.

Nasa announced that the X-59 is scheduled for its inaugural flight later this year, followed by its first quiet supersonic flight. Upon completion of test flights, the X-59 will traverse various yet-to-be-determined cities across the US, collecting public feedback on the generated sound.

Commercial supersonic travel over land has been prohibited in the US for the past 50 years due to public concerns about the audible and explosive sonic booms that could be heard over considerable distances.

Discussing the prohibition during Friday’s launch event, Bob Pearce, Nasa’s associate administrator for aeronautics research, stated, “Grounded flight testing demonstrated the feasibility of designing an aircraft that produces a soft thump rather than a sonic boom. While our laboratory studies indicate that this thump is sufficiently quiet for supersonic flight over land, the true assessment can only be obtained by involving individuals who would hear it in their daily lives.

Pearce explained that the X-59’s role is to gather data from people on the ground, assess the acceptability of the sonic thump, and then provide the collected data to US and international regulatory authorities in the hope of lifting the ban.

During the post-launch press conference, David Richardson, Lockheed Martin’s X-59 program director, mentioned that taxi tests for the X-59 were anticipated to commence in late spring or early summer. Richardson emphasized that any identified issues or non-nominal performances would prompt adjustments or replacements to ensure the aircraft’s full functionality, airworthiness, and safety before its inaugural flight.