NASA's quiet supersonic aircraft will make its first flight in 2020

NASA's X-59 experimental aircraft, whichcan restore the market for commercial supersonic travel, is in the final stages of assembly, and its first launch should take place next year.

The X-59 is actually a quieter version of Concord and the first major US aerospace project in the past 30 years.

According to engineers, its pointed design allows you to reduce the volume of overcoming the sound barrier to the level of slamming the car door. Because the plane will move at a speed about 1600 km / h at an altitude of more than 16.5 km, this noise should hardly be heard.

According to Bob Pierce, NASA’s deputy manager, the project received approval for its first flight in 2020, but the actual launch will take place only a year after that.

During the tests, the manned X-59 will fly over residential areas of cities across the country, and the level of noise generated will be estimated using sensors and people on the ground.

In addition to the supersonic aircraft, the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration is also working on its first X-57 electric aircraft.