NASA has committed to a development programme that will lead to the first flight of its X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft in 2021
Announcing the timetable NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said: “This aircraft has the potential to transform aviation in the United States and around the world by making faster-than-sound air travel over land possible for everyone. We can’t wait to see this bird fly!”
‘The X-59 QueSST is shaped to reduce the loudness of a sonic boom to that of a gentle thump, if it’s heard at all,’ says NASA.
‘The supersonic aircraft will be flown above select US communities to measure public perception of the noise – data that will help regulators establish new rules for commercial supersonic air travel over land.’
