X-59 is Soaring Through Envelope Expansion

The X‑59 has returned to the skies after a comprehensive round of maintenance and software upgrades following its first flight, officially entering the aircraft’s envelope expansion campaign where it is flying higher, faster and farther at a rapid pace.

The Numbers (and Counting):

• Flights completed: Nine
• Altitude Reached: ~ 43,000 feet
• Speed Reached: ~ .95 Mach
• Total Flight Time: 10.0 hours
• Longest Flight: ~ 1.7 hours

“Every flight and every test point is a step toward a future where cities can be connected in a fraction of today’s travel time without the noise penalty that constrained the original supersonic era,” said Pat LeBeau, X-59 program manager, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works®.   

Looking Ahead

The primary objectives of the envelope expansion campaign are to validate the X-59's performance at diverse speed and altitude profiles. Moving forward, the X-59 will continue to test its performance at high and fast test points as well as low and slow test points. From there, the joint Lockheed Martin and NASA team will move quickly into supersonic speeds and eventually the aircraft’s design points of roughly 55,000 feet and Mach 1.4, where it will create the first ever quiet supersonic thump.

By successfully completing the jet’s envelope expansion flights, the program moves closer to delivering a scientifically validated low-boom specification that regulators can use to certify future supersonic operations over populated areas, eventually leading to the return of supersonic commercial air travel. 

The X-59 is a one-of-a-kind innovation, driven by the teams at Skunk Works and NASA who were willing to push the boundaries of engineering and invention to do something that’s never been done before. 

Quiet supersonic flight is right around the corner – thanks to the X-59 and the daring teams turning imagination into first-of-its-kind aircraft.