NASA And Lockheed Martin Prepare For First Demonstration Of Supersonic Aircraft X-59

Supersonic X-59 aircraft (photo: dock. NASA)

JAKARTA - Lockheed Martin, a US aerospace company, announced that it is preparing an initial launch for the experimental supersonic X-59 aircraft.

The United States Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) project was carried out by the Skunk Works team, the Advanced Development Program (ADP) at Lockheed Martin. This aircraft demonstration will be held on Friday, January 12.

"NASA and Skunk Works will reveal the silent supersonic flight demonstrator X-59 on January 12. Get up to see the future of supersonic flight for the first time," Lockheed wrote on Monday, January 1 on platform X.

New Year, New Flight Horizon.@NASA and Skunk Works® will reveal the X-59 quiet supersonic flight demonstrator on January 12. Get ready for the first look at the future of supersonic flight. pic.twitter.com/ponIgN33dE

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) January 1, 2024

New Year, New Flight Horizon. @NASA and Skunk Worksmen Will report the X-59 quick supersonic flight demonstrator on January 12. Get ready for the first look at the future of supersonic flight. pic.twitter.com/ponIgN33dE

During the demonstration, NASA and Lockheed will fly the X-59 plane over a densely populated area. They had to make sure that the sound of the sonic boom from the plane did not disturb residential areas.

If X-59 still produces noise, Lockheed will have to improve the technology on the plane. However, it is likely that this aircraft will be able to operate well because Lockheed has been developing this aircraft since June 2019.

In accordance with the goal of building X-59, namely controlling sonic waves, this aircraft must be able to adjust the volume and distribution of lift power to separate shocks and expansions related to sonic.

With such a system, the supersonics produced by X-59 will be more controlled than other aircraft. The resulting sound will be softer so that the surrounding community will not be disturbed by the presence of the aircraft.

The 925 mph aircraft is part of NASA's Quest mission. When the aircraft is ready to operate, US regulators will leverage data from X-59 to set new commercial supersonic noise standards.

So far, the US has banned supersonic aircraft above land due to the resulting noise and security concerns that harm companies and the local community. With the presence of X-59, regulators can lift the ban.