NASA’s X-59 jet is about to finally break the sound barrier.
The X-59 is a supersonic aircraft designed with a radically elongated geometry which aims to reduce the volume of the sonic booms it can create by breaking the sound barrier. NASA’s goal with the X-59 is to help develop “quiet” supersonic technologies that could lead to aircraft designs that Minimize the impact of sonic booms. on the ground, potentially allowing current restrictions on supersonic flight to be lifted.
After making its first test flight in October 2025 and conducting 14 test flights since March 2026, the X-59 is finally ready to make its first supersonic flight sometime this month, NASA says. According to the agency, the plane will reach Mach 1.4 (925 miles per hour or 1,489 kilometers per hour) at approximately 55,000 feet (16.7 kilometers). “What comes next is the first time this one-of-a-kind aircraft will fly supersonically,” said Cathy Bahm, project manager for NASA’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator. “Completing the first flight under mission conditions is especially significant: it is the moment when we begin to validate the aircraft in the environment for which it was designed,” Bahm said in a statement. statement.
NASA recently completed several key milestones in the X-59 test program ahead of this first attempt at supersonic flight. Last month, the plane retracted its landing gear for the first time, revealing what the plane will look like in flight.
The Engineers and technicians working on the program now have a much better understanding of the aircraft and its unique systems.
One of the most unique features of the X-59 is what is known as its eXternal Vision System, or XVS. Because the X-59’s nose is so elongated, pilots would not be able to see what was in front of the plane through the front windshield, if it had one.
The X-59 was designed without any front windshield and instead uses a series of cameras that feed into an augmented reality display. Through the XVS, X-59 pilots can see what’s ahead of the plane with the nose completely removed from the image.
Until now, the X-59 has been flying under what NASA calls “Phase 1” of its test program, which was designed to measure the plane’s initial performance at low speeds and ensure it is airworthy. NASA has also been validating test instruments to help measure the shock waves produced by the X-59.
After performing its first supersonic flight in the upcoming tests, NASA will begin Phase 2 of the X-59 test campaign some time later, in 2026.
That phase will be key to the overall goal of NASA’s mission: reducing the impact of the sonic boom seen on the ground beneath the plane while it flies faster than the speed of sound.
Supersonic flights have been banned over land within a certain distance of the US since 1973 because of how disruptive the thunderous sonic booms are to people on the ground. NASA hopes that technologies developed for the X-59 could allow restrictions on supersonic flight over the continental US to be lifted, paving the way for commercial supersonic flight once again.
“As we look toward upcoming flights, we are prepared to open the envelope even further, boldly moving toward the mission test point for which this aircraft was built,” Bahm said in the NASA statement. “Flying supersonic and reaching these milestones is not just progress; it is the realization of years of perseverance, innovation and teamwork. Each step brings us closer to Phase 2 and the future of commercial supersonic flight.”
In addition to NASA, several private companies, including Colorado’s Boom Supersonic, are developing aircraft capable of quieter supersonic flight. supersonic boom made its first successful supersonic flight last yearbecoming the first civilian aircraft to fly supersonic over the continental United States.
Commercial supersonic flights would allow for much faster travel times and could be a boon for disaster relief, medical transportation, and more.
