NASA’s X-59 Makes Historic First Flight, Aiming to Break the Sound barrier Silently
NASA’s X-59 experimental jet, built in collaboration with Lockheed Martin at the “Skunk Works” of Palmdale (California), has an ambitious aim: inbreaking the sound barrier without generating the thunderous booms that have prevented supersonic flights over land for decades.
The flight. The takeoff took place from the runway shared between the US Air Force base and Palmdale Regional Airport, California. The time reported by Flightradar24 indicated 3.13pm in Italy. The jet taxied out of the USAF facility “plant 42”, faced a very rapid climb over the Mojave Desert, and then headed north towards the nearby Edwards Air Force Base, flying for just over an hour with an elliptical trajectory, before landing again.
NASA has not made an official announcement – perhaps due to the contingency of the closure of US government activities – but videos and photographs shared by enthusiasts and photographers in attendance confirm that the X-59 did indeed take flight.
epochal Change. The design of the X-59 aims to transform the sonic roar into a “thump” – a sort of dull blow comparable to the sound of a car door closing. If prosperous, existing regulations could change, perhaps allowing for commercial supersonic flights even over inhabited areas.
Beyond passenger travel, supersonic speed with low noise impact would offer significant advantages in emergency rescues, medical transport, and othre time-critical fields.