Facts summary and sources
Lockheed Martin X-59 QueSST: speed field: Mach 1.4 (Demonstrated mission condition). First flight: 2025.
This is a secondary compilation. A source-check date applies only to the listed claim, not to the whole page or its translation. A page update is not a source check.
Sources and check records
- NASA Quesst: X-59 reaches its mission conditions — NASA reports Mach 1.4 and approximately 924 mph at about 55,000 feet on June 12, 2026. This is a demonstrated mission condition, not certification of an absolute maximum speed or completion of community acoustic testing. [Demonstrated mission condition] · Event date: 2026-06-12 · Source checked for this claim: 2026-09-28
- Wikipedia reference · Source-check date not recorded
✈️ Full Specifications
| Designation | X-59 |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Skunk Works |
| Country | 🇺🇸 United States |
| First flight | 2025 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Length | 30.4 m (99.7 ft) |
| Max Speed (Mach) | 1.4 |
| Speed evidence basis | Demonstrated mission condition |
| Max Speed | 1,487 km/h |
| Service Ceiling | 16,764 m (55,003 ft) |
| Range | 1,500 km (932 mi) |
| Engine | 1× General Electric F414-GE-100 turbofan |
Checked September 8, 2026. NASA reports 25 flights through August 21. X-59 first flew on October 28, 2025, first exceeded Mach 1 on June 5, 2026, and reached Mach 1.4 mission conditions on June 12. The September 4 update reports flight 25 at Mach 1.2; that sortie was not its maximum demonstrated speed. Read NASA’s latest flight update.
Overview
The Lockheed Martin X-59 Quesst (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is a revolutionary experimental aircraft designed to solve one of aviation’s greatest challenges: the sonic boom. Built by Lockheed Martin’s legendary Skunk Works for NASA, the X-59 is shaped to produce only a quiet “thump” instead of the thunderous boom that banned supersonic commercial flight over land. Its first flight took place on 28 October 2025, marking a potential turning point for the future of commercial supersonic travel.
Design & Development
NASA awarded Lockheed Martin a preliminary design contract in February 2016 to develop a Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator. In April 2018, NASA awarded a $247.5 million contract to design, build, and deliver the X-59. The aircraft features an extremely long, slender nose that shapes shockwaves to prevent them from coalescing into a loud sonic boom. The nose is so long that forward visibility is provided by an External Vision System (XVS) using cameras and displays rather than a forward-facing windscreen.
The X-59 is powered by a single General Electric F414-GE-100 turbofan engine producing 22,000 pounds of thrust. At 30.4 meters (99.7 feet) long, the aircraft is designed to cruise at Mach 1.4 at 55,000 feet. Its ground-level sound design target is about 75 PLdB (perceived-level decibels); this is a target to validate in flight, not a completed noise measurement. PLdB and EPNdB are different noise metrics.
Operational History
After years of development and construction at Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, the X-59 was publicly unveiled on 12 January 2024. Following extensive ground testing and taxi tests, the aircraft completed its first flight on 28 October 2025 from U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.
NASA plans to fly the X-59 over selected U.S. cities to measure community response to the quiet sonic thump. The data gathered will be provided to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to potentially revise regulations banning commercial supersonic flight over land.
2026 Flight-Test Progress
The 25th flight lasted 72 minutes and reached about 49,000 feet. NASA is comparing measured handling, stability and loads with its models. Dedicated acoustic validation remains ahead: chase-aircraft booms masked X-59’s sound during these flights. Community response research is a later step, so flying at Mach 1.4 alone does not prove the quiet-thump objective.
Capabilities
- Cruise Speed: Mach 1.4 at mission conditions (approximately 1,487 km/h / 924 mph)
- Cruise Altitude: 16,764 m (55,000 ft)
- Noise Level: About 75 PLdB design target; acoustic validation pending
- Engine: 1× General Electric F414-GE-100 turbofan, 22,000 lbf thrust
- Crew: 1
- Length: 30.4 m (99.7 ft)
- First Flight: 28 October 2025
- Units Built: 1
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the X-59?
The X-59 is designed to demonstrate that supersonic aircraft can produce a quiet “thump” instead of a disruptive sonic boom. The data will help regulators decide whether to allow commercial supersonic flight over land.
Why is the X-59 so long and narrow?
The extremely elongated nose and carefully sculpted fuselage shape the shockwaves generated during supersonic flight, preventing them from merging into a loud boom.
Could the X-59 lead to a new Concorde?
If community response tests confirm that the quiet sonic thump is acceptable, regulators could lift the ban on commercial supersonic overland flight, enabling a new generation of supersonic airliners.
How does the pilot see forward without a windscreen?
The X-59 uses an External Vision System (XVS) with forward-facing cameras and cockpit displays that provide real-time forward visibility.
References & Sources
- NASA: first flight, October 28, 2025
- NASA: first supersonic flight, June 5, 2026
- NASA: mission conditions reached, June 12, 2026
- NASA: the 75 PLdB design target