NASA releases test footage of X-59 quiet supersonic jet designed to soften sonic booms

NASA on Thursday released new footage of its X-59 experimental jet, offering a fresh look at the aircraft in flight over California’s Mojave Desert. The still-in-development plane is designed to break the sound barrier over land while replacing the disruptive sonic boom with a softer “thump,” the agency said.

When an aircraft flies faster than the speed of sound, shock waves produce a sonic boom that can be a nuisance for nearby communities and can even cause damage to homes and startle animals. The X-59 is NASA’s bid to reduce that noise, potentially paving the way for faster air travel without the same ground-level disturbance.

With a long, needlelike nose, the aircraft is designed to travel at more than 1,000 miles per hour—about twice as fast as a commercial jet—while limiting the intensity of the boom. NASA expects the sound on the ground to be comparable to distant thunder or the thud of a car door closing down the block.

In the newly released video, the X-59 rolls side to side, pitches up and down, and deploys its landing gear during test flights above the desert. NASA says it ultimately plans to fly the jet over selected U.S. neighborhoods and survey residents about their experience hearing the reduced sound.