NASA tests new supersonic jet X-59 that flies at 1,175 km/h, almost as quiet as a car door slamming; in addition, the agency aims to reach Mach 1.5 without the aircraft producing much noise.

Written by Andriely Medeiros de Araújo

Published on 08/05/2026 at 09:34

Updated on 08/05/2026 at 09:35

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The X-59 reached 1,175 km/h in recent tests. Learn how NASA’s new jet aims to fly at Mach 1.5 with the sound of a car door closing.

NASA took a decisive step to enable the return of ultra-fast travel over inhabited areas with the new X-59 tests. During maneuvers performed on April 14, 2026, the aircraft demonstrated stability in precise turns and abrupt climbs, preparing the ground to break the sound barrier in an unprecedented way.

According to the website Aventuras na História, the project aims to reach Mach 1.5, but with a revolutionary difference: instead of the deafening boom that currently prohibits civilian supersonic flights over land, the jet will emit only a soft sound, comparable to the noise of a car door closing.

Altitude and Supersonic Speed Goals for NASA’s X-59

The QueSST (Quiet Supersonic Technology) project schedule sets ambitious goals for the next flight phases. NASA and manufacturer Lockheed Martin intend to take the X-59 to performance levels not seen in civil aviation for decades.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The end of the traditional sonic boom

When an object breaks the sound barrier, it generates shockwaves that result in an audible explosion on the ground.

The X-59 reached 1,175 km/h in recent tests. Learn how NASA's new jet aims to fly at Mach 1.5 with the sound of a car door closing. — The X-59 reached 1,175 km/h in recent tests. Learn how NASA’s new jet aims to fly at Mach 1.5 with the sound of a car door closing. Source: NASA.

According to a statement from Lockheed Martin, continued testing will focus on different altitude ranges to calibrate this sound suppression.

Therefore, the jet’s success will not only be measured by travel time but by the acceptance of the noise by urban communities. If the “quiet boom” is validated, restrictions on supersonic flights over land could finally be reviewed.

History of Tests and Evolution of NASA’s Project

Although publicly unveiled in January 2025, the aircraft’s development already spans over a decade of research. Progress has accelerated in recent months, with the jet accumulating real flight experience in varied conditions.

October 2025: Inaugural flight performed in subsonic regime.

April 2026: Acrobatic maneuvers performed over the Mojave Desert to test control.

Test Volume: The aircraft has already completed nine experimental takeoffs successfully.

Stability: Recent turns and maneuvers proved that the exotic design does not compromise safety.

The feasibility of silent supersonic flight is seen as the “gateway” to a new era of air transport. While military aircraft already use these speeds, civil application depends on harmonious coexistence with cities. Furthermore, the interest of the global aeronautical industry is growing as the X-59 proves to be stable and controllable.

With information from the website Aventuras na História

NASA tests new supersonic jet X-59 that flies at 1,175 km/h, almost as quiet as a car door slamming; in addition, the agency aims to reach Mach 1.5 without the aircraft producing much noise.

The X-59 reached 1,175 km/h in recent tests. Learn how NASA’s new jet aims to fly at Mach 1.5 with the sound of a car door closing.

Altitude and Supersonic Speed Goals for NASA’s X-59

The end of the traditional sonic boom

History of Tests and Evolution of NASA’s Project

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NASA tests new supersonic jet X-59 that flies at 1,175 km/h, almost as quiet as a car door slamming; in addition, the agency aims to reach Mach 1.5 without the aircraft producing much noise.

The X-59 reached 1,175 km/h in recent tests. Learn how NASA’s new jet aims to fly at Mach 1.5 with the sound of a car door closing.

Altitude and Supersonic Speed Goals for NASA’s X-59

The end of the traditional sonic boom

History of Tests and Evolution of NASA’s Project

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

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