Let’s be honest… We all want commercial supersonic flights to begin. Long-haul flights put a strain on travelers, and traveling for just a few hours to spend the weekend somewhere in the world can radically change the way we think about travel and vacation.
We actually experienced this for a limited time with Concorde… However, the great disadvantages of supersonic flight, especially the environmental disturbance and high costs due to sonic booms, caused this pleasure to be short-lived.
Now, a new supersonic aircraft design by Lockheed Martin and NASA, which aims to solve the sonic boom problem, called X-59 Silent SuperSonic Technology aircraft, is marching towards the goal with successful steps. It is reported that the tests that lasted for months resulted in positive results. Testing and confirming whether the aircraft can withstand the intense stress it will be under at supersonic speeds, NASA states that they need to do a few more tests before starting their first flight, but it brings us one step closer to commercial supersonic travel.
The X-59 was an aircraft concept that computer models predicted would produce a much quieter sonic boom, which NASA called a “sonic pulse.” While not exactly ideal, the design significantly reduces the noise and potential damage created by a sonic sound. Both Lockheed Martin and NASA consider it possible to lift the ban on supersonic commercial flights over land with this design.
NASA says the X-59 will go into production as early as 2024 if tests continue successfully as planned.
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