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NASA\u2019s X-59 experimental\u00a0aircraft\u00a0is preparing for its second flight, a step that will set the pace for more flight testing in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the coming months, NASA will take the quiet supersonic jet faster and higher, while\u00a0validating\u00a0safety and performance, a process known as envelope expansion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA test pilot Jim \u201cClue\u201d Less will be at the X-59\u2019s controls for second flight. \u00a0Less will take off and land at Edwards Air Force Base, near the X-59\u2019s home at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be the first time I\u2019ve flown an X-plane,\u201d Less said. \u201cI think\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0mostly be focused on getting the test cards done and getting them done correctly.\u00a0It\u2019ll\u00a0probably sink\u00a0in later that I was in the X-59.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Less will be accompanied by NASA test pilot Nils Larson, who will be flying nearby in a NASA F\/A-18\u00a0aircraft\u00a0to\u00a0observe\u00a0the X-59.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The X-59 made its first flight Oct. 28, 2025, with Larson as pilot. Afterward, NASA and contractor Lockheed Martin completed an extensive round of post-flight maintenance and inspections. The work involved removing the engine, a section of the tail known as the lower empennage, the seat, and more than 70 panels to perform inspections. All have been reinstalled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys know what\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0doing. We\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0do something like this without a\u00a0really competent\u00a0team of hardworking folks,\u201d Less said. \u201cNils trusted them for the first flight. I trust them for the second flight and every flight after that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team completed one of the last ground tests before the flight on March 12 \u2013 an engine run firing up the X-59\u2019s modified F-18 Super Hornet F414-GE-100 engine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always exciting to see the X-59 come to life on the ground,\u201d said Ray Castner, NASA\u2019s X-59 lead propulsion engineer. \u201cFor our team, it\u2019s a moment to pause and appreciate how far this aircraft has come \u2013 and how close we are to pushing into the next phase of flight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The X-59\u2019s second flight continues the push toward that next phase, with the team\u00a0closely studying\u00a0the aircraft\u2019s performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond flight will look a lot like the first flight,\u201d said Cathy Bahm, NASA\u2019s project manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project. \u201cWe\u2019ll start the flight at a test condition from first flight to ensure X-59 performs as expected after the maintenance phase, then we\u2019ll start the envelope expansion by testing a little higher and faster.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The flight marks the start of envelope expansion tests for the X-59. After the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0reaches a speed of approximately 230 mph at 12,000 feet and its team performs functional checks, it will advance to 260 mph at 20,000 feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
First flight was the X-59\u2019s biggest leap so far \u2013 going from the ground to airborne. Now, envelope expansion will be a gradual process as the\u00a0aircraft\u00a0works toward its mission parameters of about 925 mph, or Mach 1.4, at 55,000 feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom here on out, once we\u2019re airborne, we can increase speed and increase altitude in small, measured chunks, looking at things as we go and not getting ahead of ourselves,\u201d Less said. \u201cEventually we get to supersonic flight \u2013 a few more steps \u2013 and we\u2019re out to Mach 1.4 at about 55,000 feet,\u201d said Less.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA\u2019s\u00a0Quesst\u00a0mission, which aims\u00a0to usher in a new age of quiet, commercial supersonic flight over land. The X-59 will\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0that\u00a0an aircraft\u00a0can fly faster than the speed of sound while reducing the typical loud sonic boom to a quieter thump.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Envelope expansion is Phase 1 of\u00a0Quesst. It will be followed by Phase 2 flight testing to\u00a0validate\u00a0the X-59\u2019s acoustic performance. The team will study how the aircraft\u2019s design disperses the shock waves that typically merge into a sonic boom.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
After acoustics validation, NASA plans to fly the X-59 over selected U.S. communities to gather data on how people on the ground perceive its quieter sound signature. NASA will share the results with U.S. and international regulators.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n