NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Aircraft Breaks the Sound Barrier for the First Time

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has flown faster than the speed of sound for the first time, marking a major milestone for the agency’s Quesst mission.

The aircraft reached supersonic speed on Friday, June 5, 2026, during an 81-minute test flight that began and ended at Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less flew the X-59 to Mach 1.1, or about 713 mph, at an altitude of 43,400 feet.

NASA said the aircraft performed as expected during the flight. For Less, the cockpit instruments were the only clear sign that the aircraft had gone supersonic.

“You know you are supersonic when gauges say you are supersonic. I didn’t feel anything,” Less said. “It went smoothly, and we easily got to Mach 1.1.”

The X-59 is designed to fly at supersonic speeds while producing a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom. During the June 5 flight, a NASA F-15 chase plane flew nearby to monitor the test. NASA said the chase plane’s own sonic booms obscured any sound made by the X-59, with dedicated sound-profile flights planned for a later phase of testing.

The aircraft’s next major step is its first “mission conditions” flight. In that test, the X-59 is expected to fly at Mach 1.4, or about 925 mph, at an altitude of 55,000 feet. These are the conditions planned for future flights over several U.S. communities, where NASA will gather public feedback on how people perceive the aircraft’s noise.

NASA plans to share that data with U.S. and international regulators to support new noise standards for future supersonic commercial flight over land. Supersonic commercial flights over land have been banned in the United States since 1973 because of concerns about sonic booms.

Michael Kratsios, assistant to the president for science and technology and director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, called the flight “a testament to America’s enduring leadership in science, engineering and aerospace innovation.”

The X-59, built by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission. NASA said the aircraft has now appeared in the agency’s flight tracker for the first time.

Image & Article Source: NASA