NASA Launches X-59 Supersonic Plane for Commercial Use with Unveiling Ceremony in California

2024-01-13 10:43:23

The American space agency, NASA, yesterday (Friday) launched a silent supersonic plane, the only one of its kind, which will be used for commercial purposes.

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In a ceremony held in California, USA, NASA unveiled the X-59, an experimental aircraft that is expected to fly at a speed of 1.4 times the speed of sound which, as mentioned, translates to 1,488 km/h. The aircraft is 30.4 meters long and 9 meters wide and has a thin nose and pointed, which is about a third of the full length of the plane, a feature designed to neutralize sonic booms with the help of dispersing the shock waves, which usually surround a supersonic plane.

As part of the effort to upgrade the plane’s supersonic capabilities, NASA placed the cockpit almost in the middle of the plane and removed the forward-facing windows, which are usually found in other planes. The plane also includes a top-mounted engine and a smooth underside, which prevent the formation of The shock waves behind the plane, which cause sonic booms.

NASA Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroysaid: “We made the decision to make it quieter, but it’s actually an important step forward in itself in advancing aviation technology. With the huge challenge of limited visibility in the cockpit, the team developed the external vision system, which is truly a marvel of high-resolution cameras feeding a high-resolution display extremely high.”

Melroy continued: “The external vision system has the potential to influence future aircraft designs where the lack of this forward-facing window may be an advantage for engineering reasons, as it was for us.”

According to the agency, the X-59 is expected to make its first flight this year, “around late spring or early summer,” said David Richardson, X-59 program manager. NASA also revealed that after the end of the test flights, the X-59 will fly over several cities around the US that have not yet been selected and collect public feedback on the sound it produces.