NASA’S supersonic X-59 plane, that could one day flight from London to New York in just 1.5hours, is one step closer to its first flight.
The experimental plane, dubbed ‘Son of Concorde’, has undergone its Flight Readiness Review which will allow it to progress towards a test run sometime this year.
A board of independent experts have given Nasa a string of potential hazards and recommendations for the X-59 team to work through.
Once these boxes are ticked, the super-quiet supersonic jet plane will be able to take to the skies.
The X-59’s first flight is planned for 2024.
“It’s not a pass-fail,” Cathy Bahm, Nasa’s Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project manager, said in a statement.
“We’ll be getting actions from the board and will work with them to resolve those and work toward the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review.”
The aircraft is the centrepiece of Nasa’s Quesst mission, which aims to figure out how to fly faster than the speed of sound without the ear-aching sonic booms.
Nasa and Lockheed Martin have joined forces on the project, in hopes of bringing back supersonic aircraft after the Concorde was banned.
Commercial supersonic flight over land has been banned in the US for more than 50 years, and about 20 years in the UK, because of the noise of sonic booms.
As such, there have been no commercial aircrafts even capable of hypersonic or supersonic flight since the Concorde.
However, with several manufacturers – including Nasa and Lockheed – actively developing new supersonic aircraft, the UK’s aerospace watchdog has said it will review the ban.
In January, the ‘Top Gun’ pilots who will be the first to take off in the X-59 jet were revealed: Nasa’s Nils Larson and Jim “Clue” Less, and Lockheed Martin’s Dan “Dog” Canin.
It’s hoped the X-59 will fly at 925miles per hour – 1.4 times the speed of sound.
Experts believe the data it gathers will help develop even quieter supersonic aircraft.
Reaction to the quieter sonic “thumps” will be shared with regulators, according to Nasa.
Regulators will then consider writing new sound-based rules to lift the ban on faster-than-sound flight over land.
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