12 articles · Updated · Scientific American · May 1
The video shows the still-developing aircraft rolling and deploying landing gear above California's Mojave Desert; NASA says it is designed to exceed 1,000mph, about twice commercial jet speed.
The needle-nosed X-59 aims to replace disruptive sonic booms with a quieter sonic thud, which NASA compares to distant thunder or a car door closing down the block.
The agency ultimately plans to fly the aircraft over US neighbourhoods and survey residents, hoping the research could support quieter supersonic travel over land.
As private jets advance, can NASA's X-59 win the race to set new rules for quiet supersonic flight over land?
Is pursuing supersonic speed a costly distraction from aviation's urgent need to reduce its environmental impact?
Will new supersonic jets overcome the economic hurdles that grounded the Concorde and become commercially successful?