Sun Sets on Initial NASA X-59 Engine Afterburner Testing

NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft sits inside its run stall following maximum afterburner testing at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California. The test demonstrated the engine’s ability to generate the thrust required for supersonic flight, advancing NASA’s Quesst mission. The X-59 is the centerpiece of the mission, designed to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight over land, addressing a key barrier to commercial supersonic travel.