NASA and Lockheed Martin publicly unveil the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a ceremony in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s X-59 Quiet Supersonic Research Aircraft Unveiled

On March 22, 1946, 250 members of the Institute of Aeronautical Science toured the NACA’s Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. NACA Chairman Jerome Hunsaker and Secretary John Victory were on hand to brief the attendees in the Administration Building before the visited the lab’s test facilities. At each of the twelve stops, researchers provided brief presentations on their work. Topics included axial flow combustors, materials for turbine blades, engine cooling, icing prevention, and supersonic flight. The laboratory reorganized itself in October 1945 as World War II came to an end to address newly emerging technologies such as the jet engine, rockets, and high-speed flight. While design work began on what would eventually become the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel, NACA Lewis quickly built several small supersonic tunnels. These small facilities utilized the Altitude Wind Tunnel’s massive air handling equipment to generate high-speed airflow. The display seen in this photograph was set up in the building that housed the first of these wind tunnels. Eventually the building would contain three small supersonic tunnels, referred to as the “stack tunnels” because of the vertical alignment. The two other tunnels were added to this structure in 1949 and 1951. The small tunnels were used until the early 1960s to study the aerodynamic characteristics of supersonic inlets and exits.

NASA test pilot Wayne “Ringo” Ringelberg and photographer Carla Thomas prepare to take off for a supersonic research flight in support of the QSF18 campaign off the coast of Texas. NASA photographers and videographers take part in operations to support mission documentation.

NASA F/A-18 Prepares for Supersonic Research Flight

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 18, 2025. Following its first flight on Oct. 25, 2025, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, the aircraft entered scheduled maintenance as part of its transition into flight operations. Quesst aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and reduce the disruptive sonic boom to a quieter sonic thump.

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 18, 2025. Following its first flight on Oct. 25, 2025, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, the aircraft entered scheduled maintenance as part of its transition into flight operations. Quesst aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and reduce the disruptive sonic boom to a quieter sonic thump.

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 18, 2025. Following its first flight on Oct. 25, 2025, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, the aircraft entered scheduled maintenance as part of its transition into flight operations. Quesst aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and reduce the disruptive sonic boom to a quieter sonic thump.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits outside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 19, 2025. The aircraft’s arrival at NASA Armstrong on Oct. 28, 2025, marked its transition into flight operations in support of NASA’s Quesst mission to gather data on quiet supersonic flight.

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST)

Low-boom Supersonic Aircraft

NASA’s X-59 at Sunrise

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp during engine run testing on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Engine runs are one of the final tests before the aircraft is ready for its second flight. The data collected from the aircraft during upcoming flight tests could help inform future regulations for commercial supersonic travel over land.

A researcher stands next to the Pulsed Ejector Wave Propagation Test Rig in an opened section of the 1'x1' Supersonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center.

Pulsed Ejector Test

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits in a run stall during sunrise on Tuesday, March 20, 2026, near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, ahead of its second flight.

NASA’s X-59 at Sunrise

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft during engine run testing on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Engineers and technicians monitored the aircraft’s systems as the engine powered up, gathering data to verify performance and prepare the X-59 for its next series of experimental flights. The X-59 will support NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate technology that can reduce the loud sonic booms of supersonic flight.

NASA’s X-59 During Engine Run Testing at Dawn

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp during engine run testing on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Engine runs are one of the final tests before the aircraft is ready for its second flight. The data collected from the aircraft during upcoming flight tests could help inform future regulations for commercial supersonic travel over land.

NASA’s X-59 During Engine Run Testing at Dawn

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp during engine run testing on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. Engine runs are one of the final tests before the aircraft is ready for its second flight. The data collected from the aircraft during upcoming flight tests could help inform future regulations for commercial supersonic travel over land.

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 18, 2025. Following its first flight on Oct. 25, 2025, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, the aircraft entered scheduled maintenance as part of its transition into flight operations. Quesst aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and reduce the disruptive sonic boom to a quieter sonic thump.

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside Hangar 4826 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Nov. 18, 2025. Following its first flight on Oct. 25, 2025, in support of NASA’s Quesst mission, the aircraft entered scheduled maintenance as part of its transition into flight operations. Quesst aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and reduce the disruptive sonic boom to a quieter sonic thump.

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft flies in the supersonic shock wave of a U.S. Navy F-5E as part of the F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project.

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft recently flew in the supersonic shock wave of a U.S. Navy F-5E in support of the F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project, part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) program. The flights originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. Four flights were flown in order to measure the F-5E's near-field (close-up) sonic boom signature at Mach 1.4, during which more than 50 shockwave patterns were measured at distances as close as 100 feet below the F-5E.

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft flies in the supersonic shock wave of a U.S. Navy F-5E as part of the F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project.

NASA's F-15B Research Testbed aircraft recently flew in the supersonic shock wave of a U.S. Navy F-5E in support of the F-5 Shaped Sonic Boom Demonstration (SSBD) project, part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) program. The flights originated from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. Four flights were flown in order to measure the F-5E's near-field (close-up) sonic boom signature at Mach 1.4, during which more than 50 shockwave patterns were measured at distances as close as 100 feet below the F-5E.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft approaches landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The flight supports NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate supersonic flight that produces a quieter sonic “thump” instead of a loud sonic boom.

NASA’s X-59 Lands Near Armstrong

NASA’s X-59 Arrives at New Base of Flight Operations

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed a series of engine run tests on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. These tests mark one of the final ground preparations before the aircraft’s second flight.

NASA’s X-59 During Engine Run Testing

Raised Floor Calibration Hardware for the Boundary Layer Ingesting Inlet Distortion Tolerant Fan tests to be performed in the 8' x 6' Supersonic Wind Tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center.

8' x 6' Supersonic Wind Tunnel

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft takes off from Edwards Air Force Base near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The flight supports NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate supersonic flight that produces a quieter sonic “thump” instead of a loud sonic boom.

NASA's X-59 Takes Off Near Armstrong

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft accelerates down the runway Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, ahead of its first flight. This moment marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land.

NASA’s X-59 Accelerates for Takeoff

The X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft taxis to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, following its landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Ground teams await the aircraft’s arrival at its new home for flight operations in support of NASA’s Quesst mission to generate data on quiet supersonic flight

X-59 Taxis to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center

NASA Test Pilot Prepares X-59 for Engine Runs

NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less sits inside the cockpit of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft ahead of early morning engine runs at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. The X-59 is part of NASA's Quesst mission, which seeks to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and gather data that could help define acceptable sound for commercial supersonic travel over land.

NASA’s X-59 in Flight with F/A-18 Research Aircraft Monitoring

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above Palmdale and Edwards, California, during its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 research aircraft. A NASA F-15 research aircraft (not pictured) captured the image as the X-59 traveled to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, where it will begin flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land.

NASA’s X-59 in Flight with F/A-18 Research Aircraft Monitoring

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft flies above Palmdale and Edwards, California, during its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, accompanied by a NASA F/A-18 research aircraft. A NASA F-15 research aircraft (not pictured) captured the image as the X-59 traveled to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, where it will begin flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land.

Deck 2 Deck 3 Engine Run Round 2

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside its run stall following maximum afterburner testing at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The test demonstrates the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight, advancing NASA’s Quesst mission. The X-59 is the centerpiece of the mission, designed to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land, addressing a key barrier to commercial supersonic travel.

NASA Pilots Practice QSF18 Flight

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center test pilots Jim "Clue" Less (front) and Wayne "Ringo" Ringelberg (back) taxi out in a NASA F/A-18 at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, in preparation of a training flight for the Quiet Supersonic Flights 2018 series, or QSF18. The QSF18 flights will provide NASA with feedback necessary to validate community response techniques for future quiet supersonic research flights for the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, or QueSST.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits on the ramp at sunrise before ground tests at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California, on July 18, 2025. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and the aircraft is scheduled to make its first flight later this year.

Hydrazine Test

NASA’s Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Speaks Prior to X-59 Unveiling

NASA Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Bob Pearce speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Speaks Prior to X-59 Unveiling

NASA Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Bob Pearce speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Speaks Prior to X-59 Unveiling

NASA Associate Administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate Bob Pearce speaks on stage prior to the unveiling of the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a January 12, 2024 event at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft takes off for its second flight Friday, March 20, 2026, near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-59 is central to NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a softer sonic “thump,” potentially enabling faster commercial air travel over land.

NASA’s X-59 Completes Second Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft flies its second flight Friday, March 20, 2026, near NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The X-59 is central to NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a softer sonic “thump,” potentially enabling faster commercial air travel over land.

NASA’s X-59 Completes Second Flight

A NASA F/A-18 sits on the apron at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, prior to a supersonic research flight.

NASA F/A-18 Sits on Apron Prior to Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft lifts off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission, the result of years of design, integration, and ground testing and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.

NASA’s X-59 Lifts Off for First Flight

NASA’s X-59 Takes Historic First Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its first flight Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft’s first flight marks the start of flight testing for NASA’s Quesst mission and begins a new chapter in NASA’s aeronautics research legacy.

NASA’s X-59 Soars After Historic Takeoff

NASA’s X-59 Takes Historic First Flight

NASA’s X-59 Soars After Historic Takeoff