The American space agency NASA presented its new supersonic aircraft X-59 to the public for the first time on Friday evening. About twenty years after the end of the legendary ‘Concorde’, the possible return of supersonic flights to passenger traffic is getting closer.
The approximately 30-meter-long and forward-facing jet with a wingspan of about ten meters was presented at a site of the defense company Lockheed Martin in the US state of California, live images from NASA showed.
The aircraft is the heart of the Quiet Supersonic Technology Test (QueSST) mission. It should be able to fly without a sonic boom. Initial flight tests are planned over selected regions of the US during the year, with further data collection to follow.
“Step towards commercial supersonic flight”
Vice President Pam Melroy called the plane “another jewel in NASA’s crown.”
The special thing about the X-59: the machine should be able to fly without any noise. In supersonic flight, the airspeed is greater than the speed of sound in the area around the aircraft. When a jet plane breaks the sound barrier in the air, there is a very loud bang. It is not heard just once, but is continually created.
Civil supersonic flights over the US banned
As long as the aircraft is flying at supersonic speeds, certain sound waves are created that travel along the route at the same speed as the aircraft and are audible. Because this worries and bothers many people, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has, among other things, banned all civilian supersonic flights over the US until further notice.
The Lockheed Martin received approximately 250 million dollars (about 230 million euros) from NASA to develop the aircraft.
The ‘Concorde’ era ended in 2000
The last time there were regular supersonic flights was about twenty years ago with the legendary ‘Concorde’ between Paris, London and New York. After an accident in Paris that killed more than 100 people in 2000, operations were halted in 2003 due to major losses. In addition to NASA and Lockheed Martin, other companies are currently working on the return of supersonic jets.
Source: Krone
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