NASA’s X-59 Supersonic Demonstrator Makes First Test Flight

NASA’s X-59 “Quesst” quiet supersonic technology demonstrator notched its first test flight Tuesday morning over Southern California. 

According to flight tracking data available on Flightradar24, the experimental supersonic aircraft, registered N859NA, took off from Palmdale Regional Airport at 8:14 a.m. local time on October 28 and headed northeast toward Edwards Air Force Base. It circled over the base in a racetrack pattern for about an hour before landing at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards at 9:21 a.m.

The ADS-B tracking data indicates that the aircraft reached an altitude of 12,400 feet and a maximum ground speed of about 254 knots—less than half the speed of sound. In subsequent flight tests, NASA will incrementally fly higher and faster before ultimately breaking the sound barrier and demonstrating quiet supersonic flight.

Unlike Boom Supersonic’s XB-1 technology demonstrator, which earlier this year achieved its first supersonic flights with no audible sonic booms, NASA’s X-59 is designed to generate a quiet “thump” rather than a loud sonic boom, cruising at Mach 1.42. NASA will conduct noise tests over certain U.S. cities to gather data on public perception and reaction to its "sonic thump.” That data will be used by the FAA to set boom noise limits for overland supersonic flights.

Lockheed Martin has been developing the X-59 for NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project since 2016. The X-59 demonstrator rolled out from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, in early 2024.

Due to the ongoing government shutdown, NASA has not publicly released any details about the results of the X-59’s inaugural flight. However, Lockheed Martin issued a statement Tuesday afternoon stating that the X-59 “performed exactly as planned, verifying initial flying qualities and air data performance on the way to a safe landing at its new home.”

“We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59,” commented OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. “This aircraft is a testament to the innovation and expertise of our joint team, and we are proud to be at the forefront of quiet supersonic technology development.”