X‑59

From the NASA newsletter

NASA is preparing the agency’s X‑59 experimental aircraft for expanded flight testing in 2026. Over the coming months, NASA will take the quiet supersonic jet faster and higher, validating its safety and performance.

The X‑59 completed its first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, with NASA test pilot Nils Larson at the controls. Since then, NASA and Lockheed Martin have carried out extensive post‑flight maintenance and inspections. The work included removing the engine, the lower empennage, the seat, and more than 70 panels to conduct detailed checks. All components have now been reinstalled.

The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to usher in a new age of quiet, commercial supersonic flight over land.