NASA jet breaks the sound barrier, aims for quieter supersonic travel: Watch the video

The prospect of commercial supersonic travel within the United States just gained significant momentum. On Friday, NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft successfully broke the sound barrier, marking a major milestone for aviation technology.

A Milestone in Quiet Supersonic Flight

NASA detailed the breakthrough in a recent blog post, highlighting the agency’s ongoing quest to design a jet capable of exceeding the speed of sound while minimizing the noise disturbance felt by those on the ground.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman commended the collaborative effort behind the project. "I’m grateful to the NASA team and Lockheed Martin Skunk Works for their help getting us to this point, and I hope this is the first of many collaborations as we rebuild NASA’s X-plane portfolio," Isaacman said in a statement.

Performance at 43,000 Feet

The test flight, which lasted 80 minutes, originated and concluded at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. The aircraft reached Mach 1.1—or 1.1 times the speed of sound—while cruising at an altitude of 43,000 feet.

For NASA test pilot Jim “Clue” Less, the flight was remarkably routine. "You know you are supersonic when gauges say you are supersonic. I didn’t feel anything," Less noted. "It went smoothly, and we easily got to Mach 1.1."

Changing the Future of Aviation

Since 1973, the Federal Aviation Administration has prohibited supersonic flights over land due to the disruptive nature of sonic booms.

205focus.com reports that the X-59 is engineered to change that narrative. Instead of the traditional, jarring sonic boom, the jet is specifically designed to produce nothing more than a quiet thump. By demonstrating these capabilities, NASA aims to pave the way for the eventual return of commercial supersonic flight across the U.S. mainland.