X-59 is a NASA supersonic aircraft that we were already talking about in 2018 then in 2019. An audit had just been carried out (Key Decision Point-D), following which the green light for the final assembly of the plane had been donated. NASA then planned a flight in 2021… but as is often the case with such projects, the schedule has largely slipped.
The plane has in fact only just completed a new stage towards takeoff: “ These engine operation tests, which began Oct. 30, allow the X-59 team to verify that the aircraft's systems operate properly when powered by its own engine. In previous tests, the X-59 used external sources for power ».
The engine is a General Electric F414-GE-100 (with a thrust of 22,000 pounds, 98,000 newtons) capable of reaching the speed of Mach 1.4 (1,500 km/h) at nearly 17 km (55 000 feet) altitude. Nothing exceptional, you might say. And this is not false, because other planes (fighter and the late Concorde) do much better. The X-59 does not aim for pure speed, but it wants to break the sound barrier “ silently ».
NASA details the goal of its project:
« The X-59 will generate a thump quieter than a loud bang while flying faster than the speed of sound. The plane is the centerpiece of the QueSST mission [Quiet SuperSonic Technology, ndlr] from NASA, which will collect data on how people perceive these thuds, providing regulators with information that could help lift current bans on commercial supersonic flights over land ».
The stakes are high, because several companies are currently developing airliners capable of breaking the sound barrier with commercial flights. We think in particular of Boom Supersonic.
« Due to the challenges of completing this critical phase of testing, the first flight of the X-59 is now planned for early 2025 », Indicates NASA.
