Nasa and flying objects - News from the USA

The US space agency NASA has unveiled its new supersonic aircraft "X-59", which was developed as part of the "Quesst" (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) mission. The aircraft, which is around 30 meters long, has a tapered front end and a wingspan of around ten meters, was presented on a site belonging to the Lockheed Martin defence company in California.

The special feature of the "X-59" is its ability to fly without a sonic boom. The sonic boom occurs when an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, which is perceived as disturbing. The new aircraft will fly at an altitude of around 16 kilometers at around 1500 kilometers per hour and, instead of a loud bang, will only produce a sound as loud as the slamming of a car door.

NASA plans to carry out initial flight tests over selected regions of the USA over the course of the year in order to collect further data. The focus is on writing a new chapter in the history of supersonic flight and making air travel over land safer, more sustainable and quieter, according to NASA manager Peter Coen.

The development of the "X-59" was financed by the defense company Lockheed Martin with around 250 million dollars from NASA. With this supersonic jet without a supersonic bang, a return to supersonic flight is approaching, some 20 years after Concorde was taken out of service. The Concorde once enabled jet-setters and top managers to fly from Europe to New York in three and a half hours.