NASA tests X-59 to enable quieter supersonic flight

NASA is currently testing the X-59, an experimental aircraft designed to significantly reduce the noise produced by supersonic flight. Through the Quesst mission, NASA aims to evaluate whether aircraft can fly faster than the speed of sound over inhabited areas by producing a much softer sound than a traditional sonic boom.

This technological push coincides with new regulatory shifts from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. Moving away from a total ban on civil supersonic flight over land—a restriction in place since 1973—the FAA is transitioning to noise-based regulations. The proposed rules would set a sound pressure limit of 0.11 pounds per square foot for supersonic aircraft over land, a significant reduction from historical levels.

Two primary technological approaches are driving this potential return to supersonic travel: NASA’s X-59 research and Boom Supersonic’s Mach cut or ‘sonic boom-free cruise’ technique. These developments seek to overcome the noise challenges that led to the retirement of the Concorde.