Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Aeronautics

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

Quesst (X-59)

Quesst: The Vehicle

NASA F-15s Validate Tools for Quesst Mission

High over the Mojave Desert, two NASA F-15 research jets made a series of flights throughout May to validate tools designed to measure and record the shock waves that will be produced by the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic experimental aircraft. The F-15s, carrying the recording tools, flew faster than the speed of sound, matching the […]

Posted June 10, 2025

Aeronautics

Air Traffic Control Labs

Air Traffic Management - Exploration

Air Traffic Solutions

Drones & You

FutureFlight Central

NASA’s Moffett Federal Airfield Hosts Boeing Digital Taxi Tests

New technology tested by an industry partner at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley could improve how commercial planes taxi to and from gates to runways, making operations safer and more efficient on the surfaces of airports. Airport taxiways are busy.

Posted May 22, 2025

Aeronautics

Technology Transfer

Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program

University Innovation

Winners Announced in NASA’s 2025 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition

A team from South Dakota State University, with their project titled “Soil Testing and Plant Leaf Extraction Drone” took first place at the 2025 NASA Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, which challenged student teams to research aviation solutions to support U.S. agriculture.

Posted May 22, 2025

Aeronautics

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

Quesst (X-59)

Quesst: The Vehicle

NASA X-59’s Latest Testing Milestone: Simulating Flight from the Ground

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft successfully completed a critical series of tests in which the airplane was put through its paces for cruising high above the California desert – all without ever leaving the ground. “The idea behind these tests is to command the airplane’s subsystems and flight computer to function as if it […]

Posted May 16, 2025

Aeronautics

Green Aviation Tech

Integrated Aviation Systems Program

Sustainable Flight Demonstrator

NASA, Boeing, Consider New Thin-Wing Aircraft Research Focus

NASA and Boeing are currently evaluating an updated approach to the agency’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator project that would focus on demonstrating thin-wing technology with broad applications for multiple aircraft configurations.

Posted April 24, 2025

Advanced Air Mobility

Aeronautics

Flight Innovation

Transformational Tools Technologies

Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program

NASA Tests Ultralight Antennas to Benefit Future National Airspace

NASA engineers are using one of the world’s lightest solid materials to construct an antenna that could be embedded into the skin of an aircraft, creating a more aerodynamic and reliable communication solution for drones and other future air transportation options. Developed by NASA, this ultra-lightweight aerogel antenna is designed to enable sat

Posted April 22, 2025

Aeronautics

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Quesst (X-59)

NASA Calibrates Second Shock-Sensing Probe for X-59 Testing

When you’re testing a cutting-edge NASA aircraft, you need specialized tools to conduct tests and capture data –but if those tools need maintenance, you need to wait until they’re fixed. Unless you have a backup. That’s why NASA recently calibrated a new shock-sensing probe to capture shock wave data when the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic […]

Posted April 18, 2025

Aeronautics

Commercial Supersonic Technology

Quesst (X-59)

NASA’s X-59 Completes ‘Cruise Control’ Engine Speed Hold Test

The team behind NASA’s X-59 completed another critical ground test in March, ensuring the quiet supersonic aircraft will be able to maintain a specific speed during operation. The test, known as engine speed hold, is the latest marker of progress as the X-59 nears first flight this year. “Engine speed hold is essentially the aircraft’s […]

Posted March 26, 2025