NASA’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft completed its first low-speed taxi test at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, on July 10, 2025. This marked the first time the one-of-a-kind experimental aircraft has ever moved under its own power.
During the test, engineers and flight crews monitored the X-59 as it moved across the runway, working to validate critical systems like steering and braking. The taxiing represents the start of the X-59’s final series of ground tests before first flight.
The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to demonstrate quiet supersonic flight by reducing the loud sonic boom to a quieter “thump.”
Image Credit: NASA/Carla Thomas
2025年7月10日，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的X-59静音超音速试验飞机在加利福尼亚州帕姆代尔的美国空军42号工厂完成了首次低速滑行测试。这是这架独一无二的实验性飞机首次在自身动力驱动下移动。
测试期间，工程师和飞行团队密切监控X-59在跑道上的滑行过程，以验证转向、制动等关键系统的性能。此次滑行测试标志着X-59首飞前地面最终测试阶段的开始。
X-59是NASA Quesst任务的核心，该任务旨在展示安静的超音速飞行技术，将传统的巨大音爆声降至轻微的“低沉咚声”。
图片来源: NASA/Carla Thomas
