NASA's X-59 Experimental Aircraft Takes Flight For First Time, Aiming To Achieve Supersonic Flight Without The Boom

Shush! The era of quiet supersonic air travel is upon us. After years of development and setbacks, aeronautical engineers in the US flew the X-59, a “revolutionary” experimental aircraft designed to perform supersonic flight not with a sonic boom, but a hushed thump. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

X-59 successfully completed its first flight at sunrise on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The experimental aircraft set off from Palmdale Regional Airport and cruised for 36 kilometers (22 miles) over the Southern California desert while circling Edwards Air Force Base, where it landed safe and sound, according to aircraft tracker Flightradar24 .

Developed by NASA in collaboration with Lockheed Martin, the X-59 is a 30.3-