alt.hn

4/17/2026 at 10:59:35 PM

NASA's X-59 Completes First Wheels-Up Flight

 https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/quesst/2026/04/15/nasas-x-59-shows-streamlined-profile-in-wheels-up-flights/

by big_toast

4/17/2026 at 11:06:53 PM

(Not supersonic yet - top speed 460mph (mach 1 = 761))

First flight Wheels-down (2 points, 6 months ago) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45748035

Taxi tests (138 points, 9 months ago, 133 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44615033

Cleared for final assembly (90 points, 2019, 60 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21834889

by gnabgib

4/17/2026 at 11:14:46 PM

I found a link that said they were discussing the testing schedule with media, but haven't found a timeline for when they might go supersonic.

First X-59 post on hn was 8 years ago!

by big_toast

4/17/2026 at 11:10:58 PM

"The X-59’s thin, tapered nose accounts for almost a third of its length, and will break up the shock waves that would ordinarily result in a supersonic aircraft causing a sonic boom." [1]

The video with the wheels up must be really satisfying for the people who worked on it. Beautiful.

[1]:https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-lockheed-martin-revea...

by big_toast