NASA’s Quiet Supersonic Flight Project Takes Off in 2026

Imagine soaring through the skies at speeds exceeding 1100 km/h without disturbing a soul on the ground. That’s the promise of NASA’s X59 project, a collaboration with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to create a quiet sonic thump at supersonic speeds. Since 1947, supersonic flight has been plagued by loud sonic booms that have led to public outcry and bans on commercial overland flights. But advances in technology and supercomputers have made it possible to design planes that can fly fast without making a racket. The X59 project is just the beginning of this journey, with NASA set to ask the public for feedback on its noise levels starting in 2026.

Can Supersonic Flight Be Made Quiet?

The concept of supersonic flight has been around for decades, with the first plane to surpass the speed of sound achieved in 1947. However, the resulting shock waves created a signature double boom that could be heard from miles away, scaring livestock, rattling windows, and disturbing people. In response to public opinion, the Federal Aviation Administration banned overland commercial supersonic flight in the US in 1973, with similar restrictions enacted in other countries.

Fast forward to today, NASA is once again attempting to push the boundaries of supersonic flight, but this time with a quiet sonic thump. The X59, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics under a $247 million contract, is intended to create a quiet sonic boom at supersonic speeds. Starting in 2026, NASA will ask the public to weigh in on whether the noise is sufficiently muted to gain acceptance for overland supersonic flights.

The X59’s design is based on a simple yet sophisticated concept: reshaping the plane’s contours to prevent the coalescence of shock waves. This approach has been around for decades, but advances in supercomputers have enabled researchers to model the equations for airplane shape and surrounding fluid dynamics with greater precision. Jay Brandon, NASA’s chief engineer on the project, explains that the aim is to spread out the shocks, smoothing the pressure changes to prevent a loud sonic boom.

The Science Behind Supersonic Flight

When a plane flies faster than the speed of sound, it creates shock waves that can be heard from miles away. These shock waves are nonlinear and tend to coalesce at the front and back of the plane, generating sudden changes in pressure that produce the double boom. Every change in a plane’s shape and every feature on its surface, from tiny screws to engines, creates a shock wave at supersonic speeds.

The concept of shaping a plane to minimize the amplitude of generated shock waves and prevent them from aggregating has been around for decades. However, advances in supercomputers have enabled researchers to model the equations for airplane shape and surrounding fluid dynamics with greater precision. This allows for simulations to be used to help design the shaping characteristics needed for a low-boom airplane operating in realistic flight conditions.

The traditional approach of building physical models and testing them in wind tunnels would miss some aspects of shock wave propagation, notes Jay Brandon. Moreover, it would have been much slower and costlier. The use of supercomputers has enabled researchers to model the flow effects that the airplane shape produces, allowing for more accurate predictions of how the plane will behave at supersonic speeds.

The X59: A Quiet Sonic Thump

The X59 is an experimental technology demonstrator designed and built by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics under a $247 million contract. It is intended to create a quiet sonic thump at supersonic speeds, with NASA planning to ask the public to weigh in on whether the noise is sufficiently muted to gain acceptance for overland supersonic flights.

Greg Ulmer, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, called the X59 an experimental technology demonstrator that has the potential to completely revolutionize aviation. If the X59 is deemed quiet enough and if the law banning commercial supersonic flight over land is overturned, companies could pick up where Lockheed Martin and NASA have left off and commercialize supersonic flight.

The X59’s design is based on a simple yet sophisticated concept: reshaping the plane’s contours to prevent the coalescence of shock waves. This approach has been around for decades, but advances in supercomputers have enabled researchers to model the equations for airplane shape and surrounding fluid dynamics with greater precision. Jay Brandon notes that modeling the flow effects that the airplane shape produces wasnt possible with earlier generations of computers.

The Potential Impact on Aviation

If the X59 is deemed quiet enough and if the law banning commercial supersonic flight over land is overturned, it could have a significant impact on aviation. Supersonic flight has been largely restricted to military use due to the noise generated by sonic booms. However, with the development of quiet sonic thumps, commercial airlines may be able to offer supersonic flights, potentially revolutionizing the industry.

The potential benefits of supersonic flight are numerous. It could reduce travel times between cities, making it possible to fly from New York to Los Angeles in under an hour. It could also enable faster transportation of goods and people, with significant economic benefits.

However, there are also concerns about the impact of supersonic flight on the environment. The noise generated by sonic booms can be heard from miles away, potentially disturbing wildlife and human populations. Moreover, the increased speed of supersonic flights could lead to increased fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Conclusion

The X59 represents a significant step forward in the development of quiet sonic thumps for supersonic flight. With advances in supercomputers enabling researchers to model the equations for airplane shape and surrounding fluid dynamics with greater precision, it may be possible to design planes that can fly at supersonic speeds without generating loud sonic booms.

The potential impact on aviation could be significant, with commercial airlines potentially able to offer supersonic flights. However, there are also concerns about the impact of supersonic flight on the environment, and further research is needed to understand the implications of this technology fully.