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There\u2019s no sign reading \u201chome sweet home\u201d in the hangar where the X\u201159 now sits, but the sentiment is unmistakable among those tending to the quiet supersonic aircraft.<\/p>\n
Located at NASA\u2019s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the X-59 hangar was built in 1968 but looks like new thanks to a full renovation and modernization. While the X-59 was being assembled in Palmdale, California, workers at NASA Armstrong gutted the hangar, adding new electrical wiring, a fire suppression system, office space, air conditioning, and other safety features.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole team is incredibly proud of what we\u2019ve accomplished in preparing this new home for the X-59,\u201d said Bryan Watters, the NASA project manager at Armstrong who led the renovation effort. \u201cThe fact we could take a 1960s hangar and modernize it for use by a 2020\u2019s X-plane is very special.\u201d <\/p>\n
The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA\u2019s Quesst mission to enable a new era of commercial supersonic air travel over land by reducing the sound of typically loud sonic booms to a much quieter sonic thump.<\/p>\n
When NASA test pilot Nils Larson successfully took the X-59 into the air for the first time on Oct. 28, 2025, he flew from the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works assembly site in Palmdale to nearby NASA Armstrong, from where test flights have continued to make progress.<\/p>\n
From the beginning of the program, knowing the X-59 would eventually need a new residence at NASA Armstrong, Quesst managers were on the hunt for somewhere to house the quiet supersonic demonstrator.<\/p>\n
Like anyone looking for the ideal place to call home, the team made sure there would be enough space for the airplane and all its support equipment. But with the experimental jet measuring at just under 100 feet long and 30 feet wide, there were few options.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to find a hangar that was long enough so that part of the X-59 wouldn\u2019t hang outside, exposed to the elements,\u201d Watters said.<\/p>\n
Building 4826, as the hangar is officially designated, turned out to be the choice spot. \u201cIt was basically stripped down and gutted so that essentially it was just structural steel with siding. From that state it was rebuilt,\u201d Watters said.<\/p>\n
The feature they are perhaps most proud of is the hangar\u2019s new floor. Covering more than 32,000 square feet, it is coated with epoxy that prevents any spills from seeping into the concrete. <\/p>\n
From the hangar\u2019s office windows, the view of the hangar floor can include the F-15 research jets that will be used as chase planes to support X-59 flights in the coming months. The renovation faced challenges along the way, chief among them being supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. But there were some incredible, unforgettable moments too.<\/p>\n
With X-59 now flying regularly and comfortably settled into its new digs, the Quesst team is gauging its performance on the way to quiet supersonic flight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is truly a great time for Quesst and the X-59,\u201d said Cathy Bahm, NASA\u2019s project manager for the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator. \u201cIt\u2019s also still a little surreal to be able to just walk down from your office and see the airplane in our hangar.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more than a year, the hangar refurbishment team worked through every detail of the X-59\u2019s new home to make sure it would be safe and sound. But actually seeing the aircraft occupy that space is an adjustment for them, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve looked at X-59 models on our desk for years and then, you know, there\u2019s the real thing right in front of us, in a hangar that we renovated,\u201d Watters said.<\/p>\n
A real thing in the hangar \u2013 and streaking across the California desert sky. The X-59\u2019s transition from an idea into a working aircraft is a testament to the teams that help build out every aspect of its infrastructure. \u00a0<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s X-59 is supported under the agency\u2019s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate.<\/p>\n \n