A NASA/Lockheed Martin team recently fired up the modified GE Aerospace F414-GE-100 engine for the first time aboard the X-59 supersonic demonstrator, a key milestone that helps pave the way for the aircraft’s first flight. However, the agency noted that the team had to overcome several technical challenges to get to that point and, as such, has pushed first flight into 2025 instead of this year as hoped.
Engine-run tests, which began October 30, will verify that aircraft systems work together while powered by the aircraft’s 22,000-pound-thrust engine. Previous tests have used external sources for power, NASA said.
The team initially rotated the engine at a lower speed without ignitions to check for leaks and ensure that systems communicate properly. Following that, the aircraft was fueled and engine tested at low power, again to ensure there were no hiccups in the aircraft systems or leaks while on engine power.
“The first phase of the engine tests was really a warmup to make sure that everything looked good prior to running the engine,” said NASA X-59 chief engineer Jay Brandon. “Then we moved to the actual first engine start. That took the engine out of the preservation mode that it had been in since installation on the aircraft. It was the first check to see that it was operating properly and that all the systems it impacted—hydraulics, electrical system, environmental control systems, et cetera—seemed to be working.”
Part of NASA’s Quesst program, the X-59 will be used to assess community reaction to a supersonic aircraft equipped with advanced technologies so it generates a quieter thump rather than the boom associated with speed in excess of Mach 1. That data will be used to consider whether changes are feasible for supersonic flight over land, long banned in many parts of the globe.
The engine is mounted atop the demonstrator to help quiet the aircraft, which is designed to reach Mach 1.4 cruise at 55,000 feet.