NASA's X-59 "frankenjet" tests supersonic flight without the sonic boom
NASA's experimental X-59 "frankenjet" aircraft is undergoing tests aimed at achieving supersonic flight without producing the disruptive sonic boom typically associated with breaking the sound barrier. The aircraft's unique design is intended to reduce the noise to a quieter "thump," potentially paving the way for future commercial supersonic travel over land.
Background
NASA's X-59 QueSST (Quiet Supersonic Technology) aircraft is the centerpiece of a decades-long effort to revive civilian supersonic flight, which has been banned over land in the US and many other countries since 1973 due to noise from sonic booms. The X-59 is designed to produce a much quieter "thump" instead of a boom. If tests succeed, NASA plans to fly over select US cities to gauge public reaction, then present data to regulators like the FAA to potentially loosen the ban. Key context: the Concorde, the only commercial supersonic airliner, was noisy, fuel-inefficient, and retired in 2003; since then, startups like Boom Supersonic have been developing new supersonic jets but remain grounded until noise rules change. The X-59 is a one-off experimental plane built by Lockheed Martin, using a long, needle-like nose and no forward-facing cockpit window (pilots rely on external cameras) to shape the shockwaves.