X-59 QueSST -- towards new future?

After three decades of research and development, NASA finally got clearance for the supersonic plane X-59 QueSST. The flight is expected to start production by early 2020 and will have its first flight in 2021. So, what's so special about this plane;

Ever since the European government and international authorities ditched the supersonic passenger Aircraft CONCORDE range (one of the only 2 supersonic aircraft of that time<see Tupolev Tu-144 >), due to a tragic accident of Air France Flight 4590 and several other safety and mainly economic issues, a large scale supersonic flight with low sonic boom and enhanced features never turned up. However, X-59 is expected to resolve the existing issues and make faster than sound travel flawless and affordable, thanks to the enhanced features enabling pilots to navigate even at the toughest of navigation situations like the eXternal Visibility System. The X-59 is shaped to reduce the loudness of a sonic boom reaching the ground to that of a gentle thump, if it is heard at all.

Currently, the construction of the X-59 plane is done under a hefty budget of $247.5 million cost-plus-incentive-fee contract, at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Palmdale, California.

For more information visit https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-x-59-quiet-superso...