Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate

Ames Research Center
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Air Traffic Management and Safety
Airspace Operations and Safety Program
Our streets are crowded with commuters and delivery vehicles, but when a police car or fire engine approaches with its lights and sirens on, drivers clear the way. In the coming years, drones for deliveries and other commercial tasks will become common in the skies over our communities, and NASA is working to ensure first […]
Posted April 30, 2026
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Commercial Supersonic Technology
High-Speed Flight
Low Boom Flight Demonstrator
Quesst (X-59)
Quesst: The Vehicle
Supersonic Flight
There’s no sign reading “home sweet home” in the hangar where the X‑59 now sits, but the sentiment is unmistakable among those tending to the quiet supersonic aircraft. Located at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the X-59 hangar was built in 1968 but looks like new thanks to a full renovation and […]
Posted April 28, 2026
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Flight Innovation
Prizes, Challenges, & Crowdsourcing News
Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program
Space Technology Mission Directorate
Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
University Innovation
Editor’s note: This advisory was updated on March 24, 2026, to update the finalists list. NASA has selected seven student teams as finalists in the 2026 Gateways to Blue Skies Competition, giving them the resources to help address a critical challenge for U.S.
Posted March 24, 2026
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Ames Research Center
Artemis 2
Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate
Flight Innovation
Space Launch System (SLS)
Transformational Tools Technologies
Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program
Airflow around rockets as they travel from Earth into space can have a dramatic impact on a mission, which is why NASA used advanced simulations to provide the best possible launch conditions for the Artemis II test flight around the Moon.  To better understand the Artemis Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s flight environment, engineers turned to a
Posted March 20, 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
Quesst (X-59)
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Aeronautics Technology
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Langley Research Center
Science & Research
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
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
For Colleges & Universities
Learning Resources
THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED ON MARCH 6, 2026 This Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems.
Posted March 7, 2026
Ames Research Center
Aeronautics
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Air Traffic Management - Exploration
Air Traffic Solutions
Airspace Operations and Safety Program
General
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
Advanced Air Vehicles Program
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
Aeronautics Technology
Armstrong Flight Research Center
Flight Demos Capabilities
Flight Innovation
Integrated Aviation Systems Program
Langley Research Center
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
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