About 20 years after the end of the “Concorde”, a possible return of supersonic flight in passenger traffic is now approaching. By the end of the year, a prototype X-59 experimental aircraft will complete its first test flight as part of NASA’s QueSST project.
Photos recently released on the NASA website show the Quiet Supersonic Technology Test Aircraft (Quessst for short), also known as the X-59, in front of or inside a Lockheed Martin hangar in Palmdale, Florida. Extensive ground tests will now be carried out there to ensure that the aircraft can fly safely, NASA reports on its website.
First test flights planned for the end of the year
Test flights, scheduled for the end of the year, aim to demonstrate that it is possible to fly faster than Mach 1 (i.e. supersonic speed) while reducing the loud sonic boom to a silent boom, they say.
NASA will then fly the X-59 over several communities to collect data on local residents’ reactions to the noise generated by supersonic flight. The data collected is passed on to US and international supervisory authorities.
Significantly quieter than the “Concorde”
Compared to the “Concorde”, which was about twice as fast as modern passenger jets, but which ceased operations in 2003 due to growing safety concerns, QueSST is said to be significantly quieter, making only a “soft bang” when the sound breaks . barrier. The bang roughly corresponds to the volume measured when a car door is slammed shut.
The cruising altitude for the “son of Concorde” is given as 55,000 feet (almost 16,800 meters), and the top speed as Mach 1.42 (about 1750 km/h). This is made possible by “the elongated, slender design of the aircraft,” explained a manager at Lockheed Martin responsible for the project in late 2018.
Source: Krone
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