Faster-than-sound travel without a sonic boom the goal of NASA experimental aircraft trial

NASA has said that the first test flight of the X-59 will take place next year, with the following 18 months of trials allowing the agency’s engineers to ensure that the aircraft performs as expected and is safe to fly.

Following this, in 2025 and 2026, the craft will begin tests overflying four-to-six communities across the US, data from which it will deliver to regulators in 2027.

Mr Shah delivered a presentation on the Quesst Mission today at the 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society, which is being held this week at the Grand Hyatt Nashville Hotel in Tennessee.

While most modern fighter aircraft are capable of supersonic speeds, few commercial aircraft have been designed for operation at speeds beyond Mach 1, the “sound barrier”.

There are two notable exceptions, however — including the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144, which had its maiden flight in December 1968 and last flew in 1999, and the Franco–British Concorde, which operated from March 1969 to November 2003.

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Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1706184/nasa-quesst-x-59-supersonic-without-sonic-boom-faster-than-sound-trial