NASA’s quiet supersonic jet 1 step closer to flying over US cities

NASA's supersonic jet recently hit a testing milestone as the agency looks to set the stage for commercial air travel that whizzes passengers to their destinations faster than the speed of sound.

In June, the X-59 experimental aircraft hit supersonic speeds for the first time since testing began in fall 2025. Last month, the U.S. space agency conducted the airplane’s 25th test mission.

The landmark flight test comes as NASA not only aims to help restore supersonic flights in the U.S., but to revolutionize the mode of travel by reducing the amount of noise involved. Built by aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin, X-59 is designed to not only break the sound barrier by surpassing Mach-1 speeds, but to do it without generating sonic booms that sound like cracks of thunder to observers on the ground.

Here's the latest on testing of the X-59 supersonic jet, which could soon be flying over a city near you.

Following its maiden flight on Oct. 28, 2025, NASA's experimental supersonic jet reached its 25th flight test Aug. 21.

After a test pilot taxied the aircraft from a hangar at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, the X-59 jet took off and landed at Edwards Air Force…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/travel/