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NASA uses X-59 design to tame sonic booms for US supersonic flights

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

NASA is working on the X-59, an experimental aircraft with an elongated nose designed to reduce the impact of sonic booms during supersonic flight, the BBC Business reports.

The effort comes as supersonic flight rules limited older programs, with the shockwave from breaking the sound barrier restricting Concorde to flights over the sea and barring it from lucrative routes across the US.

The X-59 is the latest in a line of NASA experimental aircraft dating back to 1947, including the Bell X-1, the first plane to break the sound barrier.

NASA program manager Peter Coen, a 43-year veteran, said the program aims to pick small goals and build an airframe for a specific task, reflecting a philosophy of keeping the number of goals limited to control cost.

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