Aviation officials have debuted a new quiet supersonic plane that can fly faster than the speed of sound and get from New York to London in three and a half hours.
The 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide X-59 supersonic aircraft, dubbed the “Son of Concorde,” was unveiled by NASA and Lockheed Martin on Friday, and innovation officials say they expect it to revolutionize commercial air travel. Stated.
The Concorde aircraft could fly at about 1,350 miles per hour, but after its launch in 1976, it suffered from expensive maintenance and a fatal crash in 2000, and was retired about 20 years ago.
Thanks to innovations in design, shape and technology, its new descendant can travel up to 925 miles per hour while producing a sonic boom that is less destructive to the communities below, officials said.
For the past half century, the United States and other countries have banned supersonic flight because of the incredible shock waves created when an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound (1,267 miles per hour), according to NASA. stated in the press release.
The plane's narrow, tapered nose is expected to cancel out the shock waves that cause sonic booms in conventional aircraft, and the cockpit is located about half the length of the plane, allowing pilots to rely on camera monitors. It is necessary to operate the vehicle.
X-59 is part of NASA's Quest mission, whose purpose is to “provide data to help regulators reconsider the ban.”
“This is a major accomplishment made possible only through the hard work and ingenuity of NASA and the entire X-59 team,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“In just a few years, we have turned an ambitious concept into a reality. NASA's X-59 is helping to change the way we travel, bringing us closer together in far less time. I’ll give it to you.”
The Quest team was now transitioning into preparation for the aircraft's maiden flight, scheduled for later this year, including integrated system testing, engine runs, and taxi tests.
After its maiden voyage, the X-59 will embark on its first “quiet supersonic flight,” officials said.
“It's exciting to think about the level of ambition behind Quest and its potential benefits,” said Bob Pierce, associate administrator for aviation research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“NASA will share the data and technology generated from this unique mission with regulators and industry. By demonstrating the potential for quiet commercial supersonic travel over land, we are a U.S. We aim to open up new commercial markets and benefit travelers around the world.”
NASA cautioned that the X-59 is a “unique experimental aircraft” and not a prototype to be reproduced for commercial purposes.
The project cost $632 million over eight years. According to Bloomberg.
