Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Aeronautics Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Flight Innovation

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

NASA Completes First Flight of Laminar Flow Scaled Wing Design

NASA completed the first flight test of a scale-model wing designed to improve laminar flow, reducing drag and lowering fuel costs for future commercial aircraft. The flight took place Jan.

Posted February 12, 2026

Aeronautics

Hypersonic Technology

Supersonic Flight

NASA Aims to Advance Hypersonic Flight Testing with New Awards

While NASA is working with U.S. aviation to explore commercial supersonic technologies, the agency is also looking forward to an even faster era of flight – one of vehicles that can fly hypersonic, or five times the speed of sound. And to further that vision, NASA has issued two awards for studies into vehicle concepts. […]

Posted January 30, 2026

Aeronautics

Electrified Aircraft Propulsion

Glenn Research Center

Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core

NASA, GE Aerospace Hybrid Engine System Marks Successful Test

To an untrained eye, the aircraft engine sitting outside of a Cincinnati facility in December might have looked like standard hardware.

Posted January 26, 2026

Aeronautics Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Flight Innovation

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

NASA Tests Technology Offering Potential Fuel Savings for Commercial Aviation

NASA researchers successfully completed a high-speed taxi test of a scale model of a design that could make future aircraft more efficient by improving how air flows across a wing’s surface, saving fuel and money. On Jan. 12, the Crossflow Attenuated Natural Laminar Flow (CATNLF) test article reached speeds of approximately 144 mph, marking its […]

Posted January 21, 2026

Aeronautics

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

Supersonic Flight

NASA Chase Aircraft Ensures X-59’s Safety in Flight

As NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft continues a series of flight tests over the California high desert in 2026, its pilot will be flying with a buddy closely looking out for his safety. That colleague will be another test pilot in a separate chase aircraft. His job as chase pilot: keep a careful watch on things as he tracks the […]

Posted January 20, 2026

Aeronautics

Ames Research Center

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Flight Demos Capabilities

Glenn Research Center

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

Quesst (X-59)

Supersonic Flight

NASA Adds Two F-15 Aircraft to Support Supersonic Flight Research

Two retired U.S. Air Force F-15 jets have joined the flight research fleet at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, transitioning from military service to a new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.

Posted January 15, 2026

Aeronautics

Advanced Air Transport Technology

Ultra-Efficient Aviation

NASA, Boeing Test How to Improve Performance of Longer, Narrower Aircraft Wings

The airliner you board in the future could look a lot different from today’s, with longer, thinner wings that provide a smoother ride while saving fuel. Those wings would be a revolutionary design for commercial aircraft, but like any breakthrough technology, they come with their own development challenges – which experts from NASA and Boeing […]

Posted December 18, 2025

Ames Research Center

Aeronautics

Aeronautics Research

Aeronautics Technology

Ames Research Center's Science Directorate

Ames Space Biosciences

General

Uncategorized

2025 in Review: Highlights from NASA in Silicon Valley

NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley continued to make strides in research, technology, engineering, science, and innovation this past year. Join us as we take a look back at some of the highlights from 2025. From Supercomputers to Wind Tunnels: NASA’s Road to Artemis II By combining the technologies of the NASA Advanced […]

Posted December 18, 2025

General

Advanced Air Transport Technology