NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft breaks the sound barrier for the first time

Miami, US (EFE).- NASA announced on Friday that the experimental X-59 aircraft has exceeded the speed of sound for the first time, a development it considers a major milestone in the effort to enable quiet supersonic commercial flights.

The aircraft took off and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, reaching an approximate maximum speed of 1,147 kilometers per hour (713 mph) and an altitude of 43,400 feet during an 81-minute flight that began at 11:08 a.m. local time, NASA reported in a statement.

During the flight, with NASA test pilot Jim ‘Clue’ Less at the controls, the team focused on “flying qualities at both subsonic and then supersonic speeds,» the space agency indicated in a statement.

The X-59 is an experimental aircraft designed to break the sound barrier without the characteristic sonic boom.

This noise was one of the primary obstacles that forced the retirement of the Concorde, a commercial aircraft that operated between 1976 and 2003. The Concorde was capable of exceeding 2,000 kilometers per hour, connecting London or Paris with New York in three and a half hours. However, the roar generated when surpassing the speed of sound led many countries to ban supersonic flights over their territories.

The compression of sound waves when an airplane exceeds the speed of sound is what causes the sonic boom.

The X-59’s first flight took place in October, and according to NASA, the agency expects to demonstrate its quiet supersonic capabilities by the end of 2026.

«In the coming days, we expect to take the next step and push to Mach 1.4 (925 mph),» said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

To gauge the intensity of the sonic boom generated by the aircraft, a NASA F-15 aircraft flew nearby to monitor the event.

The X-59’s most distinctive feature is its elongated nose, which is significantly longer than the Concorde’s and constitutes one-third of the experimental aircraft’s 100-foot total length.

The special design of the X-59’s nose and the placement of the engine on the upper portion of the aircraft, featuring a surface beneath the nozzle, allow sound waves to disperse and prevent them from compressing, thereby avoiding the sonic boom. EFE

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