At the base of the California-based aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin, they began assembling NASA’s supersonic aircraft, which promised to quietly exceed the speed of sound.

There hasn’t been a Concorde since its last flight in 2003 hypersonic aircraft in civil aviation. Of course, that doesn’t mean manufacturers aren’t breaking their heads about how to bring technology back to life. This is what NASA has been working on, among other things, and developing for years X-59 . aircraft.

X-59 has only one goal: to make the blast of sound as quiet as possible. A sonic boom occurs when the speed of an aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. This noise and shock wave constitute a major obstacle to the spread of supersonic flight in civil transport. In most of the United States, for example, supersonic aircraft are prohibited from exceeding the speed of sound. That’s why NASA began developing the X-59, better known as the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology, and has now also announced that assembly of the hull has finally begun.

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The prototype will be used to build a completed machine at the Lockheed Martin, California site that is set to reach supersonic speeds of 1062 km/h without those on the ground hearing a loud sonic boom. NASA will also work with local communities during test flights to get a more accurate picture of reactions to aircraft noise, and will present this data to decision makers.

[Visszatér sokak álma, a szuperszonikus repülés – kérdés, ki tud majd felülni a gépekre]

NASA hopes to lift the ban on supersonic aircraft in the United States in the future, cutting travel time in half compared to the current situation.

The X-59 is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year, and in 2022 it will be the first completed vehicle available to NASA.

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