NASA's X-59 supersonic plane will fly over cities to prove it is silent

The dream of making commercial supersonic flights be as common in the future as it is today to take a charter to go to the beach has taken a step forward this Friday to become a reality. NASA has formally presented its X-59 experimental aircraft, capable of breaking the sound barrier without causing hardly any noise. That achievement eliminates one of the big problems for the use of hypersonic speed in daily life.

The X-59, the result of collaboration between the US space agency and the aeronautical company Lockheed Martin, plans to make its first flight this year. A future full of activity awaits: as NASA revealed at the presentation ceremony, the device will spend years flying over certain populated areas to collect data on silent supersonic flights, their effects and their reception in those communities.

Its objective is to pave the way for a new generation of commercial flights that can travel faster than the speed of sound and reduce route durations by half: from New York to London, for example, in just three hours.

“In just a few years we have gone from an ambitious concept to reality. “NASA’s in California.

The artifact seems like a futuristic, minimalist vision of the fusion between an airplane and an arrow. 30 meters long and 9 meters wide, a third of its fuselage is made up of the nose, long and thin like the beak of a stork. Something that allows it, as Melroy explained, to prevent the accumulation of sound waves that cause the characteristic boom of supersonic aviation. Instead, the flight of this aircraft produces “a mere whisper”, he has assured. Or, at most, the sound of a car door closing, according to space agency engineers.

Each of the elements of its peculiar design is carefully thought out to reduce noise to a minimum. From its relatively compact wings to a cockpit located in the middle of the fuselage and lacking a front window. The pilot is guided by the images offered by high-definition and augmented reality cameras installed in the fuselage and displayed on a monitor, also high-definition, inside the cabin. The only engine is placed at the top of the ship, to prevent sound waves from accumulating under the device and causing noise. The aircraft will be able to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 1,485 kilometers per hour.

The Quesst project of NASA, of which the X-59 is a part, seeks to collect data that will allow air regulators to lift the ban that has existed for half a century on commercial supersonic flights over land. This veto in the United States and other countries is due to the inconvenience caused to populations by the loud noise of crossing the sound barrier.

In the test flights, which will last years, NASA “will share with regulatory agencies and industry the data and technology obtained from this mission,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautical research at NASA headquarters. the space agency in Washington. To do this, it will fly over cities in the United States where data will be collected from the communities to find out their perception of the device. “By demonstrating that silent commercial supersonic flights are possible, we seek to open new commercial markets for American companies and benefit travelers around the world,” he added.

Following the launch of the aircraft, NASA will now focus on preparations for the debut flight, including testing the engine and its integrated systems. After your first takeoff and landing, the next step will be to complete a supersonic flight.

But, although it has taken a new step, the dream of commercial hypersonic flights still has a long way to go. According to NASA, to make these plans viable it is necessary to improve aspects such as fuel consumption efficiency or emissions reduction. “It has to be sustainable,” reminds the space agency.

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