NASA Aircraft

Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Flight Innovation
NASA Aircraft
Science in the Air
Supersonic Flight
From high‑speed research flights to high‑altitude science campaigns, NASA depends on aircraft that perform at their best and the ground crews who keep them mission ready. At NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, specially trained maintenance crews are essential to keeping the agency’s aircraft flying safely and reliably.
Posted May 22, 2026
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Flight Innovation
NASA Aircraft
NASA’s home for experimental flight is welcoming more flyers to its already high-performing fleet as it continues to support science and aeronautics test missions – continuing the legacy of pioneers like Neil Armstrong.
Posted May 8, 2026
Aeronautics
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Glenn Research Center
NASA Aircraft
A NASA Pilatus PC-12 aircraft will now be based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, in order to support flight research efforts across the agency. The PC-12 was acquired in 2022 by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland for use in advanced technology development. The PC-12 will continue to support research at […]
Posted March 24, 2026
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Advanced Air Vehicles Program
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Aeronautics Technology
Ames Research Center
Commercial Supersonic Technology
Glenn Research Center
High-Speed Flight
Integrated Aviation Systems Program
Langley Research Center
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
NASA Aircraft
Quesst (X-59)
Quesst: The Vehicle
Supersonic 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
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Flight Innovation
NASA Aircraft
NASA History
Nestled in the Mojave Desert, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, pushes the boundaries of flight to advance the agency’s aeronautics mission. This is where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier and engineers are now pioneering the future of high-speed, autonomous, and electrified aircraft.
Posted February 27, 2026
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Integrated Aviation Systems Program
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
NASA Aircraft
Quesst (X-59)
Supersonic 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
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Commercial Supersonic Technology
Integrated Aviation Systems Program
Langley Research Center
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
NASA Aircraft
Quesst (X-59)
Quesst: The Vehicle
Supersonic Flight
After years of design, development, and testing, NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took to the skies for the first time Oct. 28, marking a historic moment for the field of aeronautics research and the agency’s Quesst mission. The X-59, designed to fly at supersonic speeds and reduce the sound of loud sonic booms to […]
Posted November 20, 2025
Langley Research Center
B200
General
Goddard Space Flight Center
Heliophysics
Heliophysics Division
Modeling
NASA Aircraft
Radiation
Science & Research
Science in the Air
Science Mission Directorate
Space Weather
Recent airborne science flights to Greenland are improving NASA’s understanding of space weather by measuring radiation exposure to air travelers and validating global radiation maps used in flight path planning.
Posted September 26, 2025
Earth Science
Earth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA Aircraft
NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey have been mapping the planets since Apollo. One team is searching closer to home for minerals critical to national security and the economy. If not for the Joshua trees, the tan hills of Cuprite, Nevada, would resemble Mars. Scalded and chemically altered by water from deep underground, the rocks […]
Posted July 10, 2025
Sign up for our newsletter:

Categories

1
1
4
1
4
18
2
196
2
37
12
1
11
17
2
6
103
4
2
10
6
2
3
3
1
Io
4
14
29
6
5
12
43
1
13
6
1
2
1
3
260
10
1
2
1
7
220
10
1
10
1
1
10
4
624
344
3
1
58
1
29
1
1
1
2
10
1
52
193
1
24
1
365
6
3
14
1
3
147
12
18
4

Recent Posts

Newsletter Archive