NASA's X-59 breaks sound barrier, moves closer to quiet supersonic passenger travel

NASA's experimental aircraft reached a major milestone last week by achieving supersonic speed.

It's a first for the agency as it moves closer to demonstrating a new era of quieter high-speed flight.

"X-59 is getting ready for its quiet supersonic debut," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. "Since the aircraft's first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, the team has made tremendous progress."

The X-59, flown by test pilot Jim "Clue" Less, reached a top speed of approximately Mach 1.1 (713 mph) during an 81-minute flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Friday. Less reached an altitude of 43,400 feet before returning to the base. In the past 90 days, the team has flown 16 times to achieve a consistent testing pace.

"The X-59 doesn't have a forward-facing window," Less said in a video shared before his flight. "So I won't be able to see where I'm going without a little help."

To guide the pilot, NASA developed the External Vision System, which gave him a virtual window using a combination of cameras and high-definition displays.

NASA's X-59 eXternal Vision System shows Mach 1.077 on Friday, marking the aircraft's first time reaching supersonic speed in support of NASA's Quesst mission. Image courtesy NASA

The aircraft is designed to fly faster than the speed of sound (761 mph) with just a quiet "thump" noise, as opposed to a loud sonic boom. It's the centerpiece of NASA's Quesst mission, which also aims to enable commercial supersonic flight worldwide. In comparison, regular commercial flights usually fly between 500 mph to 600 mph, according to Fly USA.

Despite the milestone, NASA experts say an event more critical to the mission is in the works: X-59's first "mission conditions" flight, which will put the aircraft 55,000 feet up at a cruising speed of 925 mph.

The X-59 is nearly 100 feet long, with a nose longer than a school bus, Less said. Its unique shape spreads out the shock waves, turning a loud supersonic boom into a soft "thump."

NASA plans to fly the aircraft over various parts of the country to see whether that quiet "thump" sound is heard by the general public. The data will be shared to help set new noise standards and make supersonic travel practical.

NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft has a nose longer than a school bus. Image by Lori Losey/NASA

The first working supersonic airliner, the Concorde, flew passengers across the Atlantic beginning in 1976 for over 25 years at twice the speed of sound, according to the National Air and Space Museum. While flight times were cut in half, economic problems such as high ticket costs caused all Concordes to retire in 2003.

Today, modern companies are working to make supersonic flight the future of travel. Boom Supersonic, a private Colorado-based company, is building Overture, "the world's fastest airliner" that aims to cut travel time in half.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 4:20 PM.