Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Ames Research Center

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Glenn Research Center

High-Speed Flight

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

Quesst: The Vehicle

NASA’s X-59 Prepares for Second Flight

NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft is preparing for its second flight, a step that will set the pace for more flight testing in 2026. Over the coming months, NASA will take the quiet supersonic jet faster and higher, while validating safety and performance, a process known as envelope expansion. NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less will be at the X-59’

Posted March 17, 2026

Quesst (X-59)

Aeronautics

Aeronautics Research

Science & Research

NASA Invites Media to Learn About Upcoming X-59 Test Flights

NASA will hold a media teleconference at 5:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday, March 19 to highlight plans for its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft’s upcoming flight tests. The teleconference is set to take place after the X-59 is scheduled to complete its second flight, in California. For the media call, NASA leadership will join representatives from […]

Posted March 16, 2026

Ames Research Center

Aeronautics

Air Traffic Management - Exploration

Air Traffic Solutions

Airspace Operations and Safety Program

General

NASA Advances High-Altitude Traffic Management

High-altitude flight is getting increasing attention from sectors ranging from telecommunications to emergency response. To make that airspace more accessible, NASA is developing an air traffic management system covering those altitudes and supplementing its work with real-time data from a research balloon in Earth’s stratosphere. Aircraft at high

Posted February 17, 2026

Flight Demos Capabilities

Flight Innovation

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

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

Flight Demos Capabilities

Flight Innovation

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

Low Boom Flight Demonstrator

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

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)