NASA's X-59 supersonic jet looks ready in new photos released and will reach incredible speeds.
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Lockheed Martin built the X-59 for NASA as part of a project to develop a "quiet" supersonic aircraft that can break the sound barrier without producing the thunderous sonic booms typically associated with faster-than-sonic flight.
Both NASA and Lockheed Martin recently released photos of the “quiet” X-59 supersonic jet aircraft conducting tests of its afterburner, a system that injects additional fuel into the hot exhaust of a jet engine. “The X-59 — precision, power, and mechanical superiority, all on full display,” Lockheed Martin said in a post on X accompanying a new photo of the aircraft.
In the new photos, the X-59 is seen in a hangar at Lockheed Martin's famed Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, performing afterburner engine performance tests.
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The tests were aimed at verifying the performance of the X-59's General Electric F414-GE-100 jet engine , a modified version of the engine used in Boeing 's F/A-18 Super Hornet flown by the U.S. Navy.
The tests also verified how well the engine performed with the aircraft's other subsystems, the agency added.
Once NASA and Lockheed Martin complete ground testing and verify the X-59's flight readiness, the jet will begin flight testing. During the flight test campaign, NASA will fly F-15s behind the X-59 equipped with specially designed aerodiagnostics that will measure the shock waves produced as the X-59 breaks the sound barrier.
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From there, the agency plans to fly the X-59 over selected populated areas in the United States in order to collect data on public reaction and perception of the quieter "thuds" it produces when in supersonic flight.
Source: space.com
