Supersonic Flight

Two men wearing tan flight suits face each other and walk on a concrete surface. The men both carry pilot helmet bags with flight gear inside. Both men are wearing green flight gear.

June 30, 2026

Flight testing is a team sport. For nearly 80 years, teams at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in…

NASA’s X 59 eXternal Vision System digital display shows green flight data overlaid on the forward scenery as the aircraft flies supersonic. Numerical indicators, horizon references, and a Mach number readout are visible on the screen.

June 7, 2026

NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft marked a major milestone Friday, June 5, when it flew faster than the speed of sound for the first time, setting the stage for demonstrating its quiet…

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An aircraft resting on a section of runway as seen from the front, with its nose facing the camera. The early morning sky is orange in the background.

March 18, 2026

NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft is preparing for its second flight, a step that will set the pace for more flight…

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Two maintainers in white protective suits, air tanks, masks, rubber gloves, and boots check NASA’s X-59 hydrazine system during a hydrazine safety check at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The sky is slightly overcast, with some sunlight rays beginning to peek out from behind the clouds. The aircraft has a panel open, a ladder positioned on the right side of its fuselage, and air ducts extending from the aircraft into a service cart.

September 13, 2025

As NASA’s one-of-a-kind X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft approaches first flight, its team is mapping every step from…

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August 19, 2025

As we honor the legacy of aviation pioneers this National Aviation Day, NASA’s X-59 is preparing to push…

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NASA test pilot Nils Larson walks around an F-15B aircraft at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. He wears a green G-suit over his tan flight suit and looks up at the nose of the aircraft. The F-15 canopy is open, and support crew stand near the aircraft as the pilots walks around. The aircraft sits higher than the pilot, allowing a partial view of the area on the opposite side.

July 26, 2025

In a stretch of California’s Mojave Desert, NASA conducted a full-scale “dress rehearsal” to prepare how it will…

A Day of Flight Testing at NASA Armstrong

NASA’s X-59 Aircraft Flies Supersonic for First Time

NASA’s X-59 Prepares for Second Flight

NASA’s X-59 Moves Toward First Flight at Speed of Safety

NASA’s X-59 Nears First Flight

NASA Rehearses How to Measure X-59’s Noise Levels