NASA's X-59 hits Mach 1.1 June 5, producing soft thumps
NASA's X-59 jet, built to make supersonic flight less noisy, just broke the sound barrier for the first time on June 5, 2026.
The plane reached a top speed of Mach 1.1 (1148km/h) and a maximum altitude of 43,400 feet, turning what used to be loud sonic booms into much softer "thumps."
It's a big step toward making fast air travel quieter and more practical.
Pilot Jim Less flew 81-minute test
Test pilot Jim "Clue" Less flew the milestone 81-minute flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
After racking up 16 test flights in the last 90 days, the team is gearing up for even faster runs, up to Mach 1.4, and will later fly over US communities to see how quiet it really is.
NASA hopes this could help bring back supersonic passenger flights (banned since 1973) without all that ear-splitting noise.