Although the flight duration was shortened due to
a “technical issue,” the team was able to collect information to
inform future tests, NASA said in a press release.
“Despite the early landing, this is a good day for the team,”
said Cathy Bahm, project manager for NASA’s Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator
at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, Calif. “We collected
more data, and the pilot landed safely. We’re looking forward to
getting back to flight as soon as possible.”
The aircraft took off at 10:54 a.m. PDT
from Edwards Air Force Base. Several minutes into the flight, pilot Jim
“Clue” Less saw “a vehicle system warning” in the
aircraft’s cockpit, NASA said. Following flight procedures, the aircraft landed at
11:03 a.m. after a return-to-base was called.
“As we like to say, it was just like the simulator – and
that’s what we like to hear,” Less said. “This is just the beginning of a long
flight campaign.”
The X-59 is designed to fly supersonic – faster than the speed of sound – while producing only a quiet thump rather than a loud sonic boom. The X-59 is the centerpiece of
NASA’s Quesst mission, which is working to make commercial
supersonic flight over land a reality.
The aircraft is set to accelerate testing in
2026, demonstrating performance and airworthiness during a process known
as envelope expansion, in which it will gradually fly faster and higher on its way to supersonic speeds.
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