Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, with NASA, completed the first flight of the X-59 QueSST on October 28, 2025. The single-seat experimental jet took off from Palmdale, California, and landed near Edwards, California, performing as planned and validating basic flight qualities. The aircraft is designed to demonstrate ultra-quiet supersonic flight by reducing the sonic boom to a gentle thump, with the goal of enabling over-land supersonic travel and informing new noise standards.
Key points:
- What it is: An experimental jet intended to prove that supersonic travel can be much quieter.
- Why it matters: A quieter sonic boom could allow commercial planes to fly faster than sound over land, opening the door to faster travel without disturbing communities.
- How it works: The design aims to disperse the shock wave so it sounds like a soft thump (60–80 dB) instead of a loud boom.
- What happens next: The team will expand the flight envelope and conduct true supersonic tests, plus community acceptance testing to gauge public response.
- Leadership quotes: OJ Sanchez of Lockheed Martin called the flight a milestone and a testament to the team's innovation.
This milestone signals a potential redefinition of commercial aviation—faster travel with a feasible noise profile—pending further testing and regulatory developments.
complete press release
https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2025-10-28-X-59-Soars-A-New-Era-in-Supersonic-Flight-Begins
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