NASA’s Lockheed Martin-built X-59 began its first cross-country journey on 28 October, flying from Edwards Air Force Base, California, towards Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After stops in El Paso and Fort Worth, Texas, the experimental aircraft reached Birmingham, Alabama, on 29 October; its arrival in Florida had not been confirmed by 30 October. NASA plans to display the aircraft at its MAX POWER event at Kennedy on 7–8 November.
The journey coincided with the first anniversary of the X-59’s maiden flight. The aircraft is the centrepiece of NASA’s Quesst programme, which is testing technology intended to reduce the disruptive sonic boom associated with supersonic flight.
In its first year of testing, the X-59 completed 40 flights beyond its maiden flight, reaching Mach 1.53 and an altitude of more than 56,000 feet, NASA reported. The campaign has expanded the aircraft’s speed and altitude envelope ahead of acoustic validation, the next planned test phase. The Florida trip takes the aircraft beyond its California test area as NASA prepares for that work.