Excitement for NASA’s X-59 First Flight

A sign at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, reads “GO X-59” ahead of the agency’s quiet supersonic research aircraft’s first flight on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. The X-59 departed from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility and landed at Edwards Air Force Base after a 67-minute flight, then taxied to Armstrong, completing its historic first flight.

A sign at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, reads “GO X-59” ahead of the agency’s quiet supersonic research aircraft’s first flight on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. The X-59 departed from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility and landed at Edwards Air Force Base after a 67-minute flight, then taxied to Armstrong, completing its historic first flight.

Photographer NASA/Carla Thomas
Location AFRC
NASAX-59First FlightTaxiAviationHistoryLow Boom Flight DemonstratorQuesstQuestCrew ChiefGround CrewSupersonicMachSonic BoomQuiet Supersonic TechnologyX-planesX-planeAeronauticsTest PilotLockheed MartinSkunk WorksSpeedAFRCArmstrong Flight Research CenterLangley Research CenterAmes Research CenterGlenn Research CenterSonic ThumpCommercial Supersonic TechnologyAirplanesPalmdaleCaliforniaLBFD