See the X-59 QueSST Supersonic Aircraft Take Shape at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works Facility
PALMDALE, CA—NASA has released a time-lapse video showing the progress Lockheed Martin (LM) has made in building NASA's X-59 QueSST test aircraft at LM's Skunk Works factory here. The X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is being built to prove that, by combining a new aerodynamic shape, engine configuration and video-enabled controls, the agency can reduce the amount of noise generated by sonic booms.
The X-59 is undergoing the Low Boom Flight Demonstration test program, which involves running the aircraft through a series of flight tests that use microphone arrays. These arrays are installed on the ground to record sound levels as it travels as fast as Mach 1.42 (937mph).