NASA Schedules Media Teleconference on X-59 Quiet Supersonic Flight Tests

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 530 p.m. EDT on Thursday March 19 to highlight plans for the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft upcoming flight tests. The teleconference follows the aircrafts scheduled second flight in California.

For the media call NASA leadership will join representatives from the Quesst mission and contractor Lockheed Martin Skunk Works. The X-59 test pilots will be available to answer questions about what its like to fly the aircraft and how they prepare for flights.

Participants include Amit Kshatriya NASA associate administrator Cathy Bahm project manager of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator at NASA Armstrong Peter Coen Quesst mission integration manager at NASA Langley and test pilots Jim Less and Nils Larson.

For the second flight the X-59 will taxi from its hangar at NASA Armstrong then take off and land at nearby Edwards Air Force Base. The aircraft will fly for roughly an hour reaching a cruising speed of 230 miles per hour at 12000 feet before accelerating to 260 miles per hour at 20000 feet.

This flight will kick off a series of flights known as envelope expansion during which NASA will gradually take the X-59 faster and higher to ensure the aircrafts safety and assess its performance. This phase will be followed by flights assessing the X-59s unique acoustic profile.

The X-59 is the center of NASAs Quesst mission which aims to demonstrate that supersonic flight can be achieved without the loud sonic boom that has prevented supersonic flight over land.