NASA and the Lockheed Martin company unveiled the X-59, a supersonic plane capable of reaching speeds of 925 miles per hour, in California on Friday. This experimental aircraft is designed to collect data and explore the possibility of enabling supersonic commercial flights in the future.
According to NASA, the X-59 could revolutionize air travel, potentially cutting down flight times significantly. With its impressive speed, we can estimate the duration of flights if the X-59 were ever used for commercial travel.
For instance, a flight from Buenos Aires to Miami could take approximately 4 hours and 45 minutes, while a trip from Buenos Aires to Tokyo might take about 12 hours. Other estimated durations include 1 hour and 45 minutes to Rio de Janeiro, 4 and a half hours to Cancun, 6 hours and 45 minutes to Madrid, and 8 hours to Sydney.
NASA’s Deputy Administrator, Pam Melroy, hailed the X-59 as a significant achievement, emphasizing how it will aid in changing the way we travel by making it faster and more efficient. The X-59 will specifically focus on providing data to regulators to reconsider the rules prohibiting commercial supersonic flights over land.
Commercial supersonic travel is currently restricted due to the disturbances caused by sonic booms in communities. The X-59 was specifically designed to minimize these disruptive impacts.
“By demonstrating the possibility of silent supersonic commercial travel over land, we seek to open new commercial markets for American companies and benefit travelers around the world,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator for aeronautical research at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Following a hypothetical test takeoff at the end of the year, the X-59 will undergo further testing and data collection, focusing on how people perceive sound in different communities. The plan is to share this data with the Federal Aviation Administration and international regulators in order to eventually make supersonic commercial flights a reality.