WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA's quiet supersonic X-59 aircraft has cut short its second test flight within minutes of take-off due to technical issue.
Although the flight duration was abbreviated due to a technical issue, the team was able to collect information that will inform future tests, the U.S. space agency said.
'Despite the early landing, this is a good day for the team. We collected more data, and the pilot landed safely,' said Cathy Bahm, project manager for NASA's Low-Boom Flight Demonstrator at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, in Edwards, California. 'We're looking forward to getting back to flight as soon as possible.'
The aircraft took off at 10:54 a.m. PDT from Edwards Air Force Base, near NASA Armstrong, kicking off a series of dozens of test flights in 2026. Several minutes into the flight, pilot Jim 'Clue' Less saw a vehicle system warning in the aircraft's cockpit. Following flight procedures, the aircraft landed at 11:03 a.m. after a return-to-base was called.
'As we like to say, it was just like the simulator - and that's what we like to hear,' Less said. 'This is just the beginning of a long flight campaign.'
The X-59 is designed to fly supersonic - or faster than the speed of sound - while generating only a quiet thump instead of a loud sonic boom. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA's ambitious Quesst mission, which is working to make commercial supersonic flight over land a reality.
The aircraft is set to accelerate testing in 2026, demonstrating performance and airworthiness during a process known as envelope expansion, where it will gradually fly faster and higher, on its way to supersonic speeds.
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