X-59 gets ready for 2nd test flight | Space photo of the day for March 18, 2026

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NASA's X-59 jet looks ready to fly into the sunset in this new image taken before its second test flight.

What is it?

The X-59 is an X-plane (experimental plane) built by NASA and Lockheed Martin to break the sound barrier without producing the typical thunderous sonic booms that accompany supersonic flight.

The "quiet' supersonic jet already made one test flight in October 2025, and is now readying for its second test flight. In this photo, technicians monitor the aircraft as it undergoes engine runs ahead of flight number two at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center near the historic Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.

On its second flight, the X-59 will take off from Armstrong and land at Edwards after around an hour, during which it will reach a maximum altitude of 20,000 feet (6 kilometers) and a max speed of 260 mph (418 km/h). Future flight tests will "gradually take the X-59 faster and higher to ensure the aircraft’s safety and assess its performance," according to NASA.

Why is it amazing?

As seen in this photo, the X-59 features a radical elongated geometry and altered engine placement that shape the way air flows over the aircraft in an attempt to spread out the shockwaves it produces at supersonic speeds.

By spreading these shockwaves out over a larger area, the X-59's sonic booms are perceived as quieter by people on the ground below the X-59; NASA likens the booms it produces to a "thump," similar in volume to a car door slamming as heard from indoors.

Sonic booms can be quite loud and disturb people on the ground below. Because of how disruptive these booms can be, supersonic flight has been prohibited over the U.S. since 1973. But programs like the X-59 hope to change that by making supersonic flight less of a nuisance to people on the ground.

There are also new next-generation supersonic commercial aircraft in development, such as the Boom X-1. If supersonic flight is once again approved over the U.S., the shorter flight times it would enable would revolutionize travel and give a boost to industries that depend on rapid response times.