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Quesst

Quesst is NASA's mission to demonstrate how the X-59 can fly supersonic without generating loud sonic booms and then survey what people hear when it flies overhead. Reaction to the quieter sonic "thumps" will be shared with regulators who will then consider writing new sound-based rules to lift the ban on faster-than-sound flight over land.

Active Mission

What

Discover the Science Goals

How

Lowering the Sonic Boom

Who

Meet the Quesst Team

You can stay up to date on this page with the Quesst mission and learn all about its various components, including the science behind the sonic "thumps," the details of the X-59 aircraft, and the remarkable stories of the Quesst teammates who are working to make commercial supersonic air travel possible for everyone.

Mission Type

Supersonic Research

PRIME CONTRACTOR

Lockheed Martin

FIRST FLIGHT

2024

MISSION DURATION

Through 2027

special report

NASA, Lockheed Martin Debut Quesst Mission's X-59

NASA and Lockheed Martin formally debuted the agency’s X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft on Jan. 12, 2024, at a ceremony in California. Read about the event, watch the video, and learn more about the origins and assembly of the X-59 in this special feature report.

Members of an audience lift their phones to snap a photo of the recently revealed X-59 aircraft. The plane's long, sharp nose appears to jut out towards the audience.

NASA and Lockheed Martin publicly unveil the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft at a ceremony in Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which seeks to solve one of the major barriers to supersonic flight over land, currently banned in the United States, by making sonic booms quieter.

NASA/Steve Freeman

Latest Quesst News

See All Quesst News

X-59’s Engine Started for Testing

X-59 Fires Up its Engine for First Time on its Way to Takeoff

NASA Pilots Add Perspective to Research

NASA’s X-59 Progresses Through Tests on the Path to Flight

The Quesst for Low Sonic Booms

NASA’s X-59 Passes Milestone Toward Safe First Flight

NASA Grants to Engage Students in Quiet Supersonic Community Overflight

NASA Instruments Will Listen for Supersonic X-59’s Quiet ‘Thump’

Quesst Mission Videos

Learn more about the Quesst mission, as well as earlier research NASA has done on faster-than-sound flight. Plus, watch the remarkable set of videos called “The Quiet Crew,” an ongoing series of spotlight videos about the individuals who are part of the Quesst team.

Watch this two-minute video to experience a visual overview of NASA’s Quesst mission featuring the X-59 experimental aircraft.

Quesst Mission Image Gallery

82 Images

Learn More

Artist illustration of the X-59 in flight over water and land.

Quesst STEM Resources

Explore hands-on activities, interactive lesson plans, educator guides, and other downloadable content about the X-59 and supersonic flight.

Media Resources

Explore the various products available to the Media for the Quesst mission.

X-59 in flight with NASA Quesst Visuals written above the vehicle.

NASA Quesst Visuals

Find more images related to the Quesst Mission.

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A graphic showing different Aeronautics research aircraft, an unmanned passenger eVTOL, an electric airplane, the X-59 and an F-15 with red and blue stripes on the top and bottom.

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