Quesst (X-59)

Flight Demos Capabilities

Quesst (X-59)

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

Advanced Air Mobility

Airborne Science

Flight Demos Capabilities

Quesst (X-59)

STEM Engagement at NASA

Ultra-Efficient Aviation

NASA Armstrong Advances Flight Research and Innovation in 2025

In 2025, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, advanced work across aeronautics, Earth science, exploration technologies, and emerging aviation systems, reinforcing its role as one of the agency’s primary test sites for aeronautics research.

Posted December 22, 2025

Aeronautics

Quesst (X-59)

NASA’s Quesst Mission Marks X-59’s Historic First Flight

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft took off for its historic first flight on Oct. 28, 2025, at 11:14 a.m. EDT from Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. The one-of-a-kind aircraft flew for 67 minutes before landing and taxiing to NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.

Posted November 21, 2025

Quesst (X-59)

X-59 First Flight Media Resources

Media Contact Quesst Media Lead: Kristen Hatfield, 757-817-5522 First Flight Videos First Flight Highlight Reel (1:43) First Flight Extended B-Roll (7:39) Articles NASA’s X-59 Completes First Flight, Prepares for More Flight Testing First Flight Images More X-59 imagery is available in NASA’s Quesst Image Gallery Historical Resources Taxi Test B-R

Posted November 20, 2025

Aeronautics

NASA Aircraft

Quesst (X-59)

NASA’s X-59 Completes First Flight, Prepares for More Flight Testing

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

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Aeronautics

Quesst (X-59)

NASA’s X-59 Moves Toward First Flight at Speed of Safety

As NASA’s one-of-a-kind X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft approaches first flight, its team is mapping every step from taxi and takeoff to cruising and landing – and their decision-making is guided by safety. First flight will be a lower-altitude loop at about 240 mph to check system integration, kicking off a phase of flight testing […]

Posted September 12, 2025

Aeronautics

Quesst (X-59)

X-59 Model Tested in Japanese Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Researchers from NASA and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) recently tested a scale model of the X-59 experimental aircraft in a supersonic wind tunnel located in Chofu, Japan, to assess the noise audible underneath the aircraft. The test was an important milestone for NASA’s one-of-a-kind X-59, which is designed to fly faster than

Posted July 11, 2025

Aeronautics

Quesst (X-59)

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

Advanced Air Vehicles Program

Quesst (X-59)