NASA X-59 Completes 25th Test Flight as Mach 1.2 Run Clears Acoustic Phase
Updated
Updated · NASA · Sep 4
NASA X-59 Completes 25th Test Flight as Mach 1.2 Run Clears Acoustic Phase
3 articles · Updated · NASA · Sep 4
Summary
NASA’s X-59 logged its 25th test flight on Aug. 21, flying 72 minutes from Edwards, California, and reaching Mach 1.2 at about 49,000 feet.
Flight data has closely matched NASA’s digital models, validating controllability, stability margins and structural loads without unexpected instability or excessive vibration.
The aircraft has already reached its target cruise speed of Mach 1.4 and 55,000 feet earlier in testing, while engineers made minor software tweaks and fixed nuisance caution alerts between flights.
Later this year, NASA will shift to acoustic validation, using ground- and air-based instruments to measure whether the X-59 produces the quiet sonic thump it was designed to make.
That campaign is central to NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to support future commercial supersonic flight over land by reducing disruptive sonic booms.