Faster Than The Speed of Sound: Watch NASA Test Its New X-59 Jet

This next-generation plane is made to go faster than sound without producing a full sonic boom, thereby avoiding the problems that Concorde had.

X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft inside its hangar | NASA/Christopher LC Clark

NASA wants to make supersonic travel quieter and the agency has just released new footage of its X-59 jet, a still-in-development plane that is designed to break the sound barrier over land - but with a reasonably gentle sonic “thud” rather than an explosive boom.

When an aircraft travels more rapidly than the speed of sound, it creates shock waves, generating a sonic boom. Those sonic booms can be a nuisance for people and animals living nearby and can even cause damage to homes. When Concorde was in service, it had to slow down below the speed of sound (which is 767 mph) when flying over land.

The X-59 jet is NASA’s answer to that problem, and you can watch a video of it in flight, below. Featuring a needlelike tip, it’s designed to travel at more than 1,000 miles per hour - about twice as fast as a commercial jet - while limiting the noise of the boom. NASA expects its sonic “thump” to be as loud as “distant thunder” or the thud of a car door closing down the block.

Eventually, NASA hopes to deliberately fly the jet over neighborhoods in the U.S. and to survey residents about their experience with hearing the reduced sound. Then, possibly, supersonic travel may once again return to the skies and, of course, faster air travel speeds mean shorter flights.

Concorde’s typical cruising speed was 1,350 mph (Mach 2.04), which is over twice the speed of sound. At this speed, cruising at altitudes up to 60,000 feet, it reduced flight times across the Atlantic to under 3.5 hours. Its last commercial service, which occurred on 24 October 2003, was from New York to London Heathrow.