NASA tests quieter X-59 supersonic jet

NASA has released a video showing the Envelope expansion level test flights of its latest X_59 jet. Envelope expansion isn’t just about going higher and faster for an X-plane like NASA’s quiet supersonic X-59.

It’s also about understanding how a one-of-a-kind aircraft operates in flight. With each manoeuvre, engineers collect data and learn more about the aircraft’s performance. Quesst is the name of NASA Aeronautics’ mission to help take the first step toward enabling commercial, faster-than-sound air travel over land. The centerpiece of the mission is NASA’s X-59 research aircraft.

The experimental supersonic jet is designed with technology that reduces the loudness of a sonic boom to a gentle thump. NASA will fly the X-59 over selected U.S. communities and take surveys to record what people think of the quieter sonic thumps.