NASA’s Quiet Supersonic X-59 Jet Makes Historic First Flight – Could Halve Air Travel Time
After years of development and delays, the X-59 QueSST research aircraft finally took to the skies and “successfully completed its first flight” on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28news.lockheedmartin.comreuters.com. The test took place at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, with NASA test pilot Nils Larson at the controlsreuters.com. The single-seat X-59 took off just after sunrise and landed safely about an hour later at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, following a planned route toward Edwards Air Force Base accompanied by a chase planereuters.comreuters.com. About 200 aerospace workers and their families lined a nearby highway to watch the sleek jet’s maiden takeoffreuters.com, underscoring the excitement around this milestone. Lockheed Martin – which has been developing X-59 under a NASA contract worth over $518 million since 2018reuters.com – celebrated the event. “We are thrilled to achieve the first flight of the X-59,” said OJ Sanchez, vice president and general manager of Lockheed’s Skunk Works division. “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.”news.lockheedmartin.com His words highlight the significance of the feat for the engineers and scientists who spent years designing this
