NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft decided Friday, June 5, that subsonic flight was for mere mortals and hit supersonic speed for the first time. The plane, which is essentially the aviation equivalent of a cat burglar trying to be quiet, took off and landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California, reaching a top speed of approximately Mach 1.1 (713 mph) and an altitude of 43,400 feet. Test pilot Jim “Clue” Less - yes, that’s his call sign - began the flight at 11:08 a.m. PDT and spent 81 minutes proving that the X-59 can indeed go fast without making a racket, though an F-15 chase plane nearby did its best to drown out any subtle thumps with its own sonic booms.
“X-59 is getting ready for its quiet supersonic debut,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, presumably practicing his dramatic pauses. Since the aircraft’s first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, the team has made “tremendous progress,” flying 16 times in the last 90 days and hitting a steady test rhythm. Isaacman expressed gratitude to the NASA team and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, adding, “I hope this is the first of many collaborations as we rebuild NASA’s X-plane portfolio.” Because nothing says rebuilding like a plane that goes Mach 1.1 and whispers.
Michael Kratsios, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, chimed in with the expected political fanfare: “The X-59’s first supersonic flight is a testament to America’s enduring leadership in science, engineering, and aerospace innovation.” He also noted that the Trump Administration continues its work to “unleash supersonic flight and enable American ingenuity,” which sounds like a press release from an alternate universe where sonic booms are a constitutional right.
But the real party is yet to come. In just days, the X-59 will attempt its first “mission conditions” flight, cruising at Mach 1.4 (925 mph) at about 55,000 feet - again with a chase plane, because apparently solitude is overrated. That speed and altitude are the baseline for when the aircraft will eventually fly over several U.S. communities, allowing NASA to gather data on how people perceive its quiet thump. The goal: convince U.S. and international regulators to establish new noise standards that could finally make commercial supersonic flight over land a reality.
For now, the X-59 is deep in “envelope expansion,” a process where it flies at various speeds and altitudes while being stalked by a chase plane. Once this phase is done, it will shift focus to verifying that its sound profile is more of a polite cough than a window-shattering roar. The whole endeavor is part of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight and help travelers spend less time in the air. Because who doesn’t want to reach their destination faster, provided they don’t mind a faint thump overhead?