X-59: first quiet supersonic research aircraft

All four of NASA research centers and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works are building the X-59, the first quiet supersonic research aircraft. Stemming from low-boom flight research that had its roots in ASAB for decades, NASA Langley and SACD have been instrumental in developing the shaping tools and design methods used for the X-59.

The ASAB supersonics team helped create the low-boom shaping tools and methods, and various concept studies led to the award of the X-59 contract with Lockheed Martin. That ASAB-led research helped establish the confidence needed to secure agency support for this manned X-plane.

The FAA currently prohibits supersonic flight over land because of the loud boom caused by shockwaves when a vehicle exceeds the sound barrier, so engineers from ASAB, other NASA centers, and Lockheed designed the X-59 to divert shockwaves so civilians below will hear only a light thump.

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