X-59 Quesst Advances Towards First Flight Work on NASA's project with Lockheed Martin on the X-59 Quesst is continuing apace. Recently NASA 'celebrated' the anniversary of the 50 year ban on supersonic travel over land. The X59 Quesst program is all about gathering the required data and information from future test flights that may one day aid in the development of the technology to allow supersonic flight over land once again but without the negative effects. NASA took the time to update on the supersonic project.
The first test flight is expected to be later this year. Installation of the tail section of the aircraft happened towards the end of March. Once the aircraft starts its flight tests, Lockheed Martin will have those tests aimed on performance and safety. As the testing regime continues over a 9 month span then a broader slew of points will be tested. Once these are satisfactorily completed, Lockheed Martin is anticipated to handover the aircraft to NASA where the second phase of supersonic testing will happen at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center and Edwards Air Force Base in California. The third phase is expected to commence in 2025 and run through 2026 involving the testing of the vehicle over U.S. cities to ascertain if the technology is working to mitigate the effects of supersonic flight. For more information: Lockheed Martin Corporation 6801 Rockledge Dr Bethesda, MD www.lockheedmartin.com ***
