Sunday, June 7, 2026
NASA X-59 breaks sound barrier, clearing way for Boom's overland plans
NASA's Lockheed Martin-built X-59 Quesst quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first supersonic flight at Edwards Air Force Base on June 5, with test pilot Jim 'Clue' Less hitting Mach 1.1 (~713 mph) at 43,400 feet during an 81-minute sortie. The milestone produces the first real flight data NASA needs to seed an FAA and ICAO 'quiet thump' noise standard - the same regulatory pathway Boom Supersonic's Overture needs to fly cross-country routes - and lands as the House-passed Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act presses the FAA to revisit the 1973 overland supersonic ban.